The Festivity Infusion Process
by RickyTheMonkey
Summary: Amy and Sheldon are spending their first holiday season together, and Amy is hoping that the "magic" of the season will rub off on her boyfriend... despite every indication that this will most likely not be the case. This story covers Thanksgiving through New Years Day in our much loved Big Bang Theory world.
1. The Inconsistency Rationalization

**New story time! I am still in the middle of writing a part two for The Compatibility Constant, but this short little tale became a brain worm that just kept eating away until I put it on paper (er... into my computer). It has nothing to do with the Compatibility Constant universe.**

**It is around the Season 7 timeframe, but obviously doesn't include all elements of Season 7 (as you can tell by the Thanksgiving episode that just aired. The Thanksgiving in my story is a LOT different than the actual episode. Like... it's nowhere close. Which makes sense because I wrote it before that episode aired. haha!)**

**Quick pre-story note: I am planning to try to keep this story in "real-time". Meaning, I will post the updates as close to the actual time they are happening in my fictional world (ie, around Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). Key word: "try". We'll see what actually happens.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**The Festivity Infusion Process  
Chapter One: The Inconsistency Rationalization**

* * *

For as long as she could remember, Amy had spent all the 'major' holidays with her family.

She lived in such close proximity to so many of her relatives, that the seasonal gathering of her kin was almost impossible to avoid… not that she would have wanted to do so. Even if she didn't agree with the religious basis of the Christmas holiday itself, she did enjoy the feeling of 'togetherness' that the whole season seemed to naturally exude. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve… each holiday filled her with an elevated level of cheerfulness.

She'd never been able to pinpoint the precise source of her holiday joy, but she suspected it had something to do with the fact that she felt accepted when she was with her family. It was in their company that she had always felt the _least_ out-of-place, even though - by all accounts - she was still the odd duck of their clan.

But for a girl who felt like a social foreigner pretty much everywhere, Amy couldn't help but feel the most loved when she was surrounded by those who loved her unconditionally.

Amy hadn't had the easiest go of things at school. She never made any close friends, and was always an outcast. Most of her classmates – and in some cases, even the teachers – looked at her as though she was an alien. She didn't blame them, though. She had always reasoned that because she was so much smarter than everyone else, she probably intimidated them.

Her family most likely felt the same way, though they never would admit it out loud. Amy received similar looks of bewilderment from her own parents and cousins on numerous occasions, but, ultimately, they always tried to make her feel like she belonged. Her family was just that… family. They loved each other, even though they were all so different from one another.

During the holiday season, Amy would spend a good portion of her days at the homes of her various relatives who lived in the greater Los Angeles area of California. The season began with Thanksgiving, which usually took place at her grandmother's house, and ended with New Years Eve, which was typically celebrated at her Cousin Joanna's rather extravagant home in Santa Monica.

However, this year would be different.

Every single one of her relatives from across the country would be converging in Pensacola, Florida for a combined family reunion and holiday celebration.

Since most of her nearby relatives were retired, they had decided to make the whole ordeal an extended vacation. They would be spending the entire winter season in the Sunshine State.

Amy, however, would not be joining them.

As much as she would love to participate in the event and visit those relatives that she didn't get to see very often, she had to work. She'd recently been asked to assist the genetics department at UCLA with a reptile genome-mapping project that was proving to be a bit more of a challenge that she had anticipated. She could do it, of course. Even though her focus was in neurobiology, the project wasn't beyond her abilities. However, she would be the first to admit that sequencing the entire genetic code of turtles was difficult and time-consuming work.

As a result, she would be spending her first holiday season away from her family since she was born.

Although she hadn't yet discussed it with him, she assumed she would instead be spending the holidays with her boyfriend. The problem with that decision, however, was that her boyfriend was Sheldon Cooper. _Dr_. Sheldon Cooper. The same Dr. Sheldon Cooper that hated holidays, or – for that matter – hated anything that gave people an excuse to get together in merriment.

She assumed it had to do with the fact that Sheldon was a man of routine and structure. His days were carefully plotted and planned out ahead of time. He knew _exactly_ what he would be wearing or eating on any given day of the week… and holiday gatherings always threw a wrench into his plans.

He also simply didn't like people. Or 'fun', for that matter.

Amy sighed as she scribbled some notes from her day's lab findings into the folder sprawled out in front of her. Thanksgiving was only a few days away. She needed to see what Sheldon's plans were going to be. If he wasn't going to be participating in the holiday, she would need to make other arrangements. Perhaps with her best friend, Penny? Surely she could count on that bubbly blonde to be festive.

A chime rang out from Amy's nearby phone. She picked it up and smiled at the coincidence. It was Penny, inquiring about Amy's Thanksgiving plans.

-_Hey girl! You in town for Turkey day? –_

Amy quickly typed her response in the affirmative, and received another alert back from her bestie just as quickly.

- _We are trying to talk Sheldon into letting us have dinner at their apartment. We could use your persuasive strategies here. He'll listen to you. ;) – _

Amy grinned again. He probably _would_ listen to her. Her friends would say it was because she was his girlfriend and – despite the fact that he had never admitted it – he loved her. However, Amy knew that wasn't the reason. Not only did she question the extent of Sheldon's affections for her, but she also knew that she was simply very good at laying out convincing arguments. She _was_ a scientist after all. And a good one, at that.

Although, now that she thought about it, her track record wasn't stellar when it came to convincing Sheldon to participate in events like this. Sure, she could talk him into behaving a certain way or handling his problems in a particular fashion, but these type of gatherings were a different animal entirely.

She'd attempted to coax him into escorting her to numerous family functions and holiday get-togethers in the past, but he'd always come up with some sort of excuse to get out of them. Last Christmas, he'd claimed that he would need to spend the day alphabetizing his comic books and implementing a 'dewey decimal system' type of organizational scheme in order to find his comics more efficiently. She'd believed him. It sounded like something he would do, after all. Although, come to think of it, she'd never seen the evidence that any such system had actually been established.

_This year will be different_, she thought. _We may finally have the chance to spend Thanksgiving together, and I won't let him get out of it so easily. He can clean his action figures another day._

She rapidly typed a response to Penny.

- _Sure! I'll come by after work and see what I can do. ;) – _

Amy dropped her phone into the pocket of her lab coat and quickly gathered her paperwork together to put away in the filing cabinet.

It was time to see just how persuasive she could be!

* * *

"But, Sheldon! It's _Thanksgiving_!"

Penny's vociferous pleas to Amy's boyfriend could be heard from about halfway down the stairwell outside Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. As Amy approached the door, she leaned in closer to listen and prepare herself for what she would be stepping into in a few moments.

"It's, like, an American tradition!" Penny cried. "Giving thanks for everything we have, you know?"

"Giving thanks to _whom_, may I ask? I don't need to thank anyone for my accomplishments or accolades. I earned them all myself," Sheldon argued.

"Thanks to ... God... I ... suppose?" The hitch in Penny's voice suggested she realized that her statement would be a lost cause as soon as the words left her mouth.

Amy shook her head. She could almost feel Sheldon's eye-roll through the door.

Despite the fact that they had known him longer than she had, her friends certainly didn't know how to speak Sheldon's language. They were getting nowhere, and fast. They definitely needed her help.

She finally rapped her hand against the door of apartment 4A. It quickly snapped open to reveal a bespectacled man, whose face was dripping with exhaustion. That look had become a permanent one for Leonard, as his roommate left him in a perpetual state of frustration. Sheldon sucked a lot of energy out of him. Though, to be fair, Sheldon wasn't doing it on purpose - he was just being himself.

The problem was that 'being himself', was synonymous with 'being difficult'.

"Hey, Amy," Leonard sighed. "Maybe _you_ can talk some sense into your boyfriend."

Amy heard a loud "_Hrmph_!" in the living room and looked over to see Sheldon sitting in his spot with his arms crossed, clearly having made up his mind about the whole Thanksgiving issue.

"I'm _not_ going to give in to your demands, Leonard," he said firmly. "Thanksgiving does not fall on 'anything can happen Thursday' this year… so we will not be changing our plans."

Leonard rolled his eyes and opened the door a bit more for Amy to enter the apartment.

"Hey Ames." Penny nodded her head in Amy's direction as she tied her long, blonde hair up into a ponytail and leaned on the arm of Leonard's chair.

Amy's eyes lit up when she saw her friend. Penny always had this cheerful glow about her that was just contagious… even when she was mad. The anger just seemed to radiate through her and make her glow even brighter.

_How does she do it?_

"Hey bestie!" Amy waved at Penny, then wasted no time at all. She immediately shuffled to the couch and settled in beside her boyfriend. "Hello Sheldon."

He eyed her suspiciously, but quickly uncrossed his arms and turned to her on the couch.

"Amy, can you believe what they are trying to make me do?" He motioned to Penny and Leonard, who had just plopped back into his chair. "They want to have Thanksgiving dinner _here_. In _my_ apartment. Can you believe that?"

"It's _my_ apartment, too, Sheldon," Leonard argued.

"Yes, but I win all ties."

"Its two against one! Penny and I against you."

"Penny doesn't get a vote. She doesn't live here," he said, before turning his attention back to his girlfriend. "Amy... tell them I'm right."

"That's not fair! How come Amy gets a say in this, but Penny doesn't?"

"Because Amy is _my_ girlfriend," Sheldon pointed out. "As the senior member of the communal living arrangement that we have established, I can decide - "

"Sheldon, I agree with Leonard," Amy interrupted. It pained her to disagree with him so abruptly, but it had to be done. She was a woman on a mission.

Her boyfriend turned to gape at her so quickly that she was afraid he may have gotten whiplash. His face soon returned to its previous haughty state, and he crossed his arms, shifting away from her in his spot.

"Well... you don't get a vote anyway. You don't live here."

Leonard groaned and collapsed over his legs in the chair, his arms dangling to the floor like a chimp. "Penny," he mumbled with his face smushed against his knees. "Lets just go over to your apartment. I've had enough of Sheldon for one afternoon."

A look of realization poured over Sheldon's eyes. "Say…. that's an idea! Why don't you have Thanksgiving dinner at Penny's apartment?'

"My apartment is too small, Sheldon," Penny explained. "We're planning to have Howard, Bernadette, Raj and Stuart over. They won't all fit in my tiny living room."

He leaned back into the couch. "That's not my problem."

Penny gave Amy a pleading look, and Amy twisted around to face her boyfriend, her knees almost touching his.

"Sheldon…" she began. "You have no choice here. You really must participate in Thanksgiving dinner."

He gave her a smug smirk. "Honestly, Amy. I _always_ have a choice. And I am_ choosing_ not to participate."

"Well, your routine's already ruined anyway, so I don't see why it matters."

"What do you mean?"

"You would ordinarily be having pizza on Thursday, right? But you can't do that. I already checked and your usual restaurant will be closed for the holiday. So, are you going to make your own pizza? Or will you be going somewhere else?"

He stared at her. She could tell his mind was racing. He hadn't thought of that.

"I… um…"

"And you already told me that you _always_ watch the parade on Thanksgiving."

"Yes… every year."

"Well, doesn't watching the parade change your regular Thursday schedule? Especially considering that this isn't 'Anything Can Happen Thursday'?"

"Well… I suppose… but..."

"You would normally be at work on a weekday, but the university will be closed."

"Yes… but…"

"So, really, your entire calendar is already a mess." She held up her hand and started counting all the changes on her fingers. "You won't be at the university, you won't be able to have pizza… and instead of solving the mysteries of the universe, you will be at home mindlessly watching the parade." She paused to let him absorb what she was saying. "So, really, the only thing that Penny and Leonard want to do is make sure you eat something. Unless, of course, you'd rather fend for yourself?"

He looked over at Leonard and Penny, then back to Amy.

"Well… yes. I suppose you're right…"

"Then it's settled!" Amy clapped her hands together and smiled at Penny and Leonard. "You two can make Thanksgiving dinner while Sheldon watches the parade!"

Sheldon jumped up quickly, his eyes wide. "Now wait just one minute! Leonard doesn't cook. Not well, anyway. And, Penny, Leonard has relayed to me horror stories about _your_ cooking…"

Penny glared at Leonard. "Hey!"

"Sheldon!" Leonard yelled. "Those weren't _horror_ stories. They were just… stories." He turned to Penny with a cheesy grin. "I just tell him about all the delicious food you make for me, honeybun."

"Shut up, Leonard." Penny walked away from her boyfriend and moved to sit next to Amy on the couch.

"I like your cooking, bestie," Amy said as Penny settled in beside her.

"Oh, Ames..." Penny patted her friends' knee gently. "You've never had my cooking."

"I bet it's amazing, though."

"_Anyway_," Sheldon continued. "I'm saying that, of the group, I am clearly the best chef."

"_You_?" Penny and Leonard asked simultaneously.

"Yes, me. In fact, I've made many of the components of a Turkey dinner in the past. My MeeMaw taught me, so I learned from the best."

"What's your point, Sheldon?"

"My _point_ is that if anyone is going to be making Thanksgiving dinner in _our_ apartment, then it's going to be _me_. If I'm not going to be eating pizza, then I'm certainly not going to be forced to eat dried out turkey and burned pumpkin pie."

"So… _you_ want to make Thanksgiving dinner?" Penny asked.

"I don't _want_ to, Penny," Sheldon said. "I _have_ to."

Penny's jaw was on the floor.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Sheldon continued. "I need to go make a shopping list. Amy, clear your schedule. You're taking me to the grocery story later." He left the group and wandered down the hallway without looking back. Amy finally heard his door close, and turned with a grin to her best friend.

"How…? " Penny's stunned words dissolved off her tongue and she just sputtered in disbelief.

"Wow, Amy," Leonard conceded. "Ten minutes ago he wasn't even going to let us have dinner here. Now, he's _making_ it for us. You're good."

"Well, I do what I can," Amy winked.

"I'm telling you, you've got him wrapped around your finger," Penny wiggled her little finger in Amy's direction, and Amy's cheeks flushed pink.

"Oh... I wouldn't say that."

If she had Sheldon wrapped around her finger, they would be doing a lot more than sharing the occasional hug between them. If he were wrapped around her finger, he wouldn't roll his eyes when she wanted to hold his hand. He wouldn't tense every time she kissed him. No… Sheldon Cooper was not wrapped around her finger. _She_ was wrapped around _his_. So much so, that she was an expert in everything about him. And one of the advantages of being an expert in Sheldon Cooper is that she knew how exactly to talk to him.

Regardless, one thing was clear: Amy would finally be spending her first major holiday with her boyfriend.

She couldn't wait.

* * *

**Notes: Please review! If you read my last story, you know I love me some reviews. I also very much enjoy constructive criticism! Don't be shy, please!**

**There may be a few more errors. I'm really trying to avoid them, but because I'm in a bit more of a time crunch they may creep in there. As I mentioned up top - I am trying to**** keep this as close to 'real' time as I can in order to keep it on track with the actual holidays. So, the Thanksgiving one will be posted _close_ to Thanksgiving, the Christmas and New Years ones will be close to the end of December (of course there will be chapters in between, too).**

**I suppose if you are reading this in the future (into 2014 or beyond), then the fact that they will be posted in 'real time' is irrelevant. So… ignore this note, futurlings.**

**:o)**


	2. The Wishbone Dichotomization

**Thanks for all of the reviews! Keep 'em comin'!**

* * *

******The Festivity Infusion Process**  
Chapter Two: The Wishbone Dichotomization

* * *

For someone who didn't like holidays, Sheldon Cooper was certainly taking this one very seriously.

He had all but ignored his tradition of watching the Thanksgiving Day parade in favor of double-checking that the mashed potatoes had _just_ the right amount of salt, and to ensure the turkey was cooking on pace to reach _just_ the right internal temperature by lunchtime.

He had even shoed Amy away after she'd accidentally used a whole teaspoon of vanilla, rather than the half-teaspoon that was called for in the pumpkin pie recipe. Insisting that if the pie was ruined it would be _her_ fault, he'd pushed her out of the kitchen and was now sweating profusely as he tried to get everything done at the same time.

"I've never seen him like this," Raj said, as the group watched Sheldon scurry from the stove to the refrigerator and back again.

"He's got it under control," Amy insisted. And she knew he did. He was just refusing help and was making it hard on himself.

"Hey, Ames, come help me with this," Penny said, unfolding a bright orange tablecloth. Howard had 'borrowed' a large fold-out table from the university, and they'd moved the coffee table and Leonard's chair out of the way to make room for it. Sheldon had forbidden them to move the couch, which he claimed would risk altering the integrity of his spot.

Amy grabbed one end of the fabric from Penny and stretched it over the table, and Raj brought over his boxful of decorations that he had determined would be his contribution to the event. He immediately began dropping dried leaves down in the center of the table.

"Um. No." Sheldon firmly pointed his whisk in Raj's direction.

"What?" Raj glanced between the table and Sheldon. "What's wrong?"

"We will _not_ be having dead leaves next to our food. Get that out of here."

"It's just a decoration. It makes it look fall-y."

"Fall-y?"

"You know… autumn-like."

Sheldon just glared at Raj and Raj glared right back at Sheldon. After a few awkward moments, Raj finally threw his hands into the air.

"Ugh! Fine! But you're ruining my vision." He scooped the leaves back off the table and into his box, then pulled out a few pumpkins.

"They're fake!" He groaned when he saw Sheldon's scolding look.

The fact that the pumpkins were plastic seemed to satisfy the lanky physicist and he returned to the skillet where he was making gravy.

With some trepidation, Amy joined her boyfriend in the kitchen to see if he needed any help. He eyed her for a moment, clearly weighing whether or not to risk giving her another shot. Ultimately, he knew that he had way too much left to do by himself, and he allowed her to begin boiling water to steam the green beans.

"This is so romantic," Amy said with a cheesy grin in Sheldon's direction. "Making Thanksgiving dinner with my boyfriend."

Sheldon frowned at her. "Honestly, Amy, what _don't_ you find romantic? We could be clipping the bushes outside the apartment and you'd think it was romantic. You're just making green beans for crying out loud."

Amy shrugged. "Still. I like it. I'm glad we're together."

"Well, you're as good a person to be with today as anyone else," he smiled at her as though he was giving her a great complement. "At least there will be _some_ intelligent conversation at the dinner table."

Amy dumped the green beans into the strainer and smiled.

A knock on the door snapped their attention away, and they turned to watch Leonard jog over to open the door for Stuart, who was gripping a bottle of red wine in his hands.

"Seriously, Stuart?" Sheldon admonished. "Alcohol?"

"Alcohol?" Penny perked up. "Where?"

Stuart held the bottle out to her, and she quickly skipped over to retrieve it from him. "Thank God!" she exclaimed, before squeezing past Sheldon to grab a glass.

"Nice to see you, too, Penny," Stuart said from the doorway.

"Don't just stand there, Stuart," Sheldon said. "Were you born in a barn?"

Stuart slithered in and closed the door behind himself, then Sheldon turned his attention to Howard. "Howard, why don't you make yourself useful?"

"Useful _how_, Sheldon? You already told me I couldn't possibly be any help today."

"No… what I said was you couldn't possibly help with anything _important_," Sheldon clarified. "You can set the table."

"How is setting the table not important? Where are we going to eat if the table doesn't get set?"

"Oh good grief – it's just setting a table. A monkey could do it."

Howard glared at him. "You _do_ realize I gave up spending a night of Hanukkah away from my mother for this? Do you know what that means? Do you know what kind of hell she's going to put me through tomorrow?"

"Wait," Penny butted in with a dumbfounded expression on her face as she poured herself a glass of wine. "I thought Hanukkah was Jewish Christmas? Why is it at Thanksgiving?"

"A – Hanukkah is not 'Jewish Christmas'," Howard rolled his eyes. "And B – It rarely falls on Thanksgiving. But, it does this year… which means in just _one_ day, I've skipped _two_ major holidays with my mom." He groaned. "I'll never hear the end of this."

Bernadette wrapped her arm around her husband. "Oh Howie, its okay."

"She'll get over it," Sheldon brushed him off. "Just buy her a present. Apparently, women like that. Get her a nice dreidel or something."

Howard gave Sheldon a long, piercing stare, but decided it wasn't worth his effort to argue any more. "Where are the plates, Sheldon?"

* * *

"I love American holidays," Raj said, holding his very full belly. "Its an excuse for me to let myself go. It's socially acceptable to eat until you burst."

"I hate to tell you this, Raj," Howard said. "But _any_ day is an excuse to overeat in America. You don't have to wait for a holiday."

"Here's an interesting fact about turkey," Sheldon said, earning a groan from everyone but Amy. "While turkey _does_ contain the sleep-inducing amino acid, tryptophan, that's not the real reason that people fall asleep after eating Thanksgiving dinner."

Sheldon paused with a grin, waiting for someone to take his bait… but nobody obliged.

"Do _you_ know the real reason everyone gets so sleepy after eating on Thanksgiving?"

Again, everybody just stared at him.

"Its because the meal has so many calories it just makes you lethargic and lazy."

"You know what's putting _me_ to sleep?" Howard asked. "_Your talking_."

Sheldon glared at him.

"Howie, I wish you'd be nice," Bernadette nudged her husband. "It's the holidays. And Sheldon _did_ just make us this wonderful turkey dinner."

"Ooo… that reminds me! Who's going to break the wishbone?" Penny asked with excitement. "I vote Amy and Sheldon!"

"Why us?" Amy asked, setting her spoonful of mashed potatoes back onto her plate.

"Because it's your first holiday together. You two should make a wish!"

Amy thought it over. Making a wish with Sheldon would really be quite lovely indeed. But he'd never go for it. He was above such 'childish hogwash', as he would say.

_Still…_

She batted her eyes in Sheldon's direction.

"You're logic makes no sense, Penny," Sheldon shook his head. "But very well."

"Really?" Leonard asked with surprise. "You aren't going to resist? I thought you weren't keen on wish-making."

"I'm not. I think the notion of making a wish on the fracture of a bird's furcula and expecting it to come true is ridiculous. I equate it to the likes of wishing on a coin as it's flung into water or wishing on a shooting star … or rainbows. A bit of space debris burning into the earth's atmosphere or a colorful refraction of light by water in the air have nothing to do with the fate of a person. It's all nonsense."

"Then why are you doing it?"

"Because I know Amy wants to, and I really don't care enough to argue about it. I blame the food. It's already making me lethargic."

Amy smiled at him. "Thank you, Sheldon." It was a small gesture, but the fact that he was willing to do something silly like this for her without hesitation made her tingly inside.

"Here you go!" Penny held the tiny bone out, and Amy took one side in her hand. Sheldon grimaced at it and grabbed a nearby potholder. He shoved his hand inside and awkwardly grabbed the other side of the wishbone.

"I'm not getting the bird flu because of this," he said when he noticed Amy's questioning expression.

"Sheldon," Bernadette said. "That's not how – "

"Oh, just leave it," Leonard interrupted. "It doesn't matter."

"Let's get this show on the road," Sheldon said.

"Ok… Ready you guys?" Penny asked. They both nodded. Amy closed her eyes tightly and repeated her wish in her head. There were several things she was hoping for in the future… marriage, a family, to make a historical and world-changing contribution to science… but there only _one_ thing that she desperately wanted _now_.

"Pull!" Penny shouted.

Without much force, the bone easily snapped in half. Sheldon's piece was obviously the larger of the two.

_Drat_, she thought. She really had hoped she might get her wish. Sheldon had most likely wasted his on something stupid.

"What'd you wish for?" Amy eagerly asked._ A new train set or for a chance meeting with Leonard Nimoy, most likely._

"No!" Penny exclaimed before Sheldon could answer. "He can't tell or it won't come true!"

Sheldon groaned. "Honestly, Penny. It's silly enough that you believe a wish made on the breaking of a bone would come true in the first place. But it's downright ridiculous to believe that revealing my wish would have any impact on the outcome of said wish."

"Whatever, Sheldon." She threw up her hands and walked away, tossing the broken wishbone into the trash. But to Amy's dismay, Sheldon headed Penny's advice and said nothing more on the matter. He pulled the potholder off of his hand and quietly grabbed a piece of pumpkin pie… grimacing a little as he pushed the first bite into his mouth.

"Too much vanilla," he mumbled, scrunching his nose.

* * *

The tryptophan – or basic lethargy, if you were to believe Sheldon – eventually got the better of the group. One-by-one they drifted to sleep in various spots across the living room, finally leaving only Amy and Sheldon awake, watching a TiVo'd version of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade together.

Sheldon was mesmerized by the humungous Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man balloon, and snickered as the balloon's handlers struggled to keep control of it. Amy noticed his eyes sparkle as he watched. _He's so happy._ He clearly had a more child-like love of whimsy than he chose to admit. His obsessions with trains and superheroes were proof enough of that.

"So, what did you wish for?" She asked.

He looked at her with confusion. "When?"

"When we broke the wishbone. What was your wish?"

"Oh…" He paused a moment, then returned his eyes to the television. "I didn't make a wish."

"What? That was the whole idea!"

"It's silly, Amy."

_Silly? Of course it's silly! But she'd thought he had actually participated in a bit of silliness with her - and that had made her happy. Until now, that is._

"Well, what _would_ you have wished for? You know… if you believed in such nonsense."

Sheldon thought about it. "More wishes."

Amy sighed. "You can't wish for more wishes."

"Why not?"

"That's a given, Sheldon. It's like an unspoken rule of wish making. You don't get more wishes."

"Oh. Well, then I'd wish for the Nobel Prize."

"For what accomplishment?"

"I discovered an element, Amy. Surely that's worth something."

"That was an accident."

It was true. Sheldon was still angry about all the attention he was getting as a result of his mistaken discovery.

He frowned. "Well, what did _you_ wish for?"

Amy hesitated. She hadn't planned on revealing her wish to Sheldon.

If she'd had unlimited wishes, she would have wished that Sheldon's qualms regarding intimacy would disappear. She would have wished that he would desire her. That he swoop her in his arms, gaze into her eyes and plant a big, sloppy kiss on her face right then and there. An epic kiss. One worthy of a Meg Ryan romance movie. _Hey, so long as I'm wishing – I may as well make it spectacular._

However, it really all boiled down to _one_ thing that she wanted. She wanted Sheldon to _love_ her. She could do without all that other nonsense, so long as she knew for certain that he felt about her the same way that she did about him.

Occasionally, she would get this sense that Sheldon really did love her. But that's all it was - A _feeling_. She couldn't even pinpoint exactly what would trigger it. A sideways glance here, a brush of her hand there... nothing anyone else would notice, of course. She herself wasn't even sure it was real.

It would just be nice to _know._

But, alas. She got the short end of the wishbone. And Sheldon had squandered his wish.

Maybe next year.

"Well?" Sheldon pressed.

Amy didn't want to lie to him. But she couldn't tell him the truth, either. He'd freak out for sure. She settled on a half-truth, something that wouldn't scare him too much… she hoped.

"I wished that you would kiss me tonight. On the cheek, of course."

"Really, Amy? A _kiss_?" He rolled his eyes. "You don't want a Nobel Prize?"

"Well, _of course_ I want a Nobel Prize. I'm just confident that I will get one of those without having to wish for it," Amy said, then focused on her fingers picking at the seam of her denim skirt. "A wish is for something that you... that you aren't sure will ever happen."

"Are you saying that I won't get a Nobel Prize without a wish?"

"No! Quite the opposite. I think you would have wasted your wish, to be honest."

"Oh," Sheldon said. "Well… you wasted yours."

Amy froze in place - her eyes locked on her now unmoving fingers on her skirt._ What? What did he mean by that? Was he… was he planning to kiss her?_

Suddenly, the room got very warm, very quickly. Amy reached up to move her cardigan away from her neck. _Why is it so hot?_

"You think I… wasted my wish?" She couldn't hide the hopefulness in her voice, but Sheldon didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Yes," He sounded as though it was obvious. "We've kissed before, so you would be wishing for something that has already happened."

_Oh._ She felt deflated.

"Yes. _I've_ kissed you," Amy said. "I want _you_ to kiss me."

Sheldon's forehead wrinkled. "What's the difference?"

"There… It's…" Amy stuttered. _How do I explain this?_ "It's just… different, is all."

"I fail to see how. It's the same two people… the same –" He cringed, "_body parts_ involved."

"I don't know, Sheldon," She said with frustration. "It just is."

A surprisingly loud snore from Howard took them both by surprise and they froze, waiting to make sure he hadn't woken up.

The tiny man snorted again, and twisted around on the floor to get more comfortable before his breathing returned to normal. Satisfied that he was still asleep, Amy returned her attention to Sheldon. She was careful to whisper this time, though, lest she wake any of their friends up.

"Do you ever… _want_ to kiss me?"

Sheldon looked horrified. _"Honestly, Amy,"_ he whispered. "Is this appropriate after-dinner conversation? In the midst of all our friends, no less?" He motioned to a snoozing Leonard lying sideways in his chair, and Stuart, who was sitting with his head back on the couch beside Amy... a bit of drool running down his face.

She frowned at Sheldon. Of course he would do all he could to avoid talking about this.

"Fine," she said softly. "Forget it."

"You got the short end of the wishbone anyway," Sheldon argued. "So the conversation is moot."

"You're right, as always," Amy said, dropping her chin into her palm and returning her attention to the television.

The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man had become tangled in a few light-poles and crews were working to undo the ropes. Sheldon snickered at the predicament on the screen in front of him, oblivious to his girlfriend's growing frustration.

Amy's mind raced. Sure, she wanted Sheldon to kiss her - but she didn't _need_ him to do so. She did, however, _need_ to know how he felt. The uncertainty was driving her crazy.

She was determined to figure it out by the end of the month. _I want to start the new year fresh_, she thought, a feeling of empowerment slowly oozing through her.

Major changes were definitely coming. She wasn't sure exactly what the changes would be - or what they would mean for her relationship. But they were coming whether Sheldon was ready or not.

Yes - Amy was certainly feeling empowered. But she was also horrifyingly nervous.

* * *

**Notes: Thank you again for the great reviews! I can't reply to everyone (the guest reviewers), but just know that I REALLY appreciate it. I hope I can keep you all happy! I've got some great (*fingers crossed*) stuff planned! :o)**

**Remember: Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!**


	3. The Gift Exchange Contemplation

**Sorry for the delayed update! Just simply got busy with holiday-related activities!**

* * *

**The Festivity Infusion Process  
Chapter Three: The Gift Exchange Contemplation**

* * *

Sheldon was the easiest person in the world to find a gift for… unless you were Amy Farrah Fowler.

Anybody else could make a quick run to the comic book or model train store and find something that Sheldon would enjoy. But for Amy it was different. She couldn't settle on some frivolous child's toy that he was guaranteed to love. That would be too easy.

Her Christmas gift for Sheldon needed to mean more. It had to be special.

"Oh, just get him a ticket to the planetarium," Penny waved her hand, as though Amy had the simplest task in the world laid out in front of her. "Or a life-long membership to the California Science Center or something."

"I can't do that, Penny," Amy said. "It has to be _really_ good. He's always done so much for me."

"Oh. _Sure_," Penny's voiced dripped with sarcasm, which earned her a quick glare from Amy. "Look, I love watching you two together," Penny continued apologetically. "And it's sweet that you are trying so hard. But lets be honest – Sheldon's not the best gift giver. And he doesn't really _want_ to be. He'd be the first to admit that. Has he ever put this amount of thought into _your_ gifts?"

"Honestly, Penny?" Amy gaped at her. "The Relationship Agreement? The emergency contact form? The _tiara_? How does he come up with this stuff? His gifts have always been perfect."

"First of all – The Relationship Agreement is not a _gift_," Penny pointed out. Amy was about to argue, but her friend silenced her and continued.

"_However_, I suppose you're right about the tiara," she acknowledged with a shrug. "I tried my hardest to talk him into getting you a silver heart-pendant necklace, but he was dead-set on that jeweled crown of yours. He _did_ insist that you'd like it."

_Of course he did. He knows me._

"Although, he wanted to get you a humidifier at first," Penny pointed out. "I talked him out of that one. _You're welcome, _by the way."

_A humidifier, eh?_ _Hm…_ Amy had been meaning to get one of those. Her skin had been feeling rather dry lately, and her harp really did need to be in a room with a bit more moisture in the air. _Perhaps on our way out of the mall, Penny and I could swing into Sears…_

"You know, " Penny kept talking without waiting for a response from Amy. "When Sheldon suggests things like that, a part of me still thinks he just lucks out when he does actually give you something that you like."

_'Lucks out'? Sheldon? No way. _The gifts were too perfect. He knew what he was doing, even if it didn't appear that way to Penny. Sheldon put so much consideration into his presents for her; She couldn't do anything less for him.

"Ooo!" Penny grabbed Amy's arm and dragged her, reluctantly, into Victoria's Secret. "I've got to get the second half of my gift for Leonard!"

Amy was in awe at her friend. How was it that she wasn't nearly as anxious at the prospect of getting her boyfriend a present as Amy seemed to be? Penny wasn't the least bit concerned that Leonard wouldn't like his gift. She was just so… _resolute_ in her choice.

Amy wished she could have that same assurance. For her, giving holiday gifts to friends was a relatively new experience. Aside from one ill-fated Secret Santa game at work – which landed her supervisor in the hospital with a monkey bite – Amy had never had the opportunity to give Christmas gifts to non-family members. She and Sheldon had never exchanged Christmas gifts... mostly because of his disdain for the concept, but also because of timing. She'd always been with her family.

Penny, on the other hand, had given Sheldon great gifts in the past.

Numerous times, her bestie had recounted the amusing tale about the day she gave Sheldon a napkin with Leonard Nimoy's signature on it. He had hugged her. Willingly. And why not? It had been the perfect present, after all.

Amy was determined to get something for Sheldon that would elicit that same kind of over-the-top, uncontrollable response from him. Her boyfriend's hesitance to touch her in that way was increasingly confusing – especially given the fact that he had voluntarily hugged Penny multiple times... or so she had been told.

She couldn't deny it - Amy was jealous of her best friend. Not in a 'get-your-hands-off-my-man' way, of course. Quite the contrary; She was extremely happy that her boyfriend had been able to form such an important friendship, given the extent of his... quirks. However, on more than one occasion during the development of his friendship with Penny, Sheldon had discovered ways to bypass his typical aversion to touching, which had allowed him to open up to her in a way that Amy had only dreamed of.

Sure, Amy had shared intimate moments with her boyfriend in different, arguably _deeper_, ways - and she stood by the fact that she didn't _need_ a physical manifestation of Sheldon's feelings for her - however that didn't change her _desire_ for it.

She wasn't looking for much, but a simple - nevertheless motivated and affectionate – hug from him would be a nice start.

Penny must have noticed Amy's distant expression, because she gently wrapped her arms around her friend's shoulders. "Aw, Ames. Don't worry about it. I'm sure whatever you decide to give Sheldon will be great."

Amy shrugged, pulling herself back into the unnerving reality of the crowded lingerie store.

"I don't know," she said. "For Valentine's Day I got him nothing. Literally _nothing_ and he loved it. How can I top _nothing_, Penny? I can't get him the same thing twice."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. He'd have to return one of the nothings if you did that. And they won't take that back without a receipt, you know." She gave Amy a teasing smile. "Seriously, though, Ames. Sheldon hates gift giving. Why don't you do exactly that and get him 'nothing' again? Just… agree not to exchange gifts. I'm sure he won't mind. It'll take the pressure off."

Amy sighed and decided to change the topic, as Penny would obviously not be any help on the matter.

"So, what are you getting Leonard?"

"Weelllll..." Penny winked, as she pulled a particularly risqué-looking garment from a nearby rack. "I think he'll like this. _I know, I know_… this is really a present for _both_ of us. But I already bought him some fancy Lord of the Rings sword from the comic book store, so I'm good."

"A sword?" Amy scrunched her face in disgust. "I don't understand why our guys want stuff like that. Where are they going to put it? And it's not like you can _do_ anything with a sword. You can't carry it around with you… and it has no usefulness as a kitchen knife, really."

Penny shrugged. "I know! It makes no sense. And – get this – the sword I bought is broken. It's _supposed_ to come that way, apparently. The blade is in little pieces. Stuart says its some kind of replica. _I _say it's silly – but what do I know?"

Amy nodded. "So… a broken sword and some lacey underwear?"

Penny beamed at her friend. "Yup. He's gonna love it."

"Oh sure, who doesn't love useless weaponry?"

"Or the promise of sex?" Penny added. "Hey - why don't you pick out something for yourself from Victoria's Secret, eh?" Penny nudged Amy playfully with her elbow, but Amy just stared at her friend with a face that could rival Sheldon's expression of haughty derision.

"Yeah, good point," Penny conceded.

* * *

The girls stowed their purchases away in Penny's apartment before making their way across the hall to see what their boyfriends had been doing all afternoon. Penny opened their door without knocking.

"We're back!"

"Obviously," Sheldon said without looking up from his computer. "We heard you come in. There's no need to announce yourselves as though you're a court marshal at a fifteenth century gathering of lords and ladies."

"Aw, it's great to see you too, sweetie!" Penny smiled and patted Sheldon on the shoulder as she walked by, immediately making a beeline to help her own boyfriend with the garland that he was attempting to drape haphazardly over the window frame.

"Hey there," Leonard bent to kiss her as she removed the strands of lights that had become tangled in his legs. "I thought you two were shopping? Where 's everything you bought?"

"Oh, we dropped it off at my place," Penny said with a smile. "Didn't want you to see what I got for you."

Amy studied her friends. Their relationship was so… easy. Her eyes drifted to own boyfriend, who was deeply involved in whatever was on his computer.

"Aren't you going to help Leonard decorate, Sheldon?"

He twisted in his chair to look at her in bemusement.

"Decorate? For _Christmas_?" Sheldon glanced at his roommate, and then back to Amy. "I hardly think so."

"Well, do you mind if _I _help?"

"I don't care what you do, just leave me out of it." Sheldon turned back to his desk, intently focused on the screen in front of him. He was obviously working on something important.

Amy meandered over to her boyfriend's desk and paused next to him, reaching up to rub his back gently. He tensed and shifted around to look at her as though she were crazy.

"What are you doing?" He asked with confused edginess.

"Nothing," she dropped her arms to her side. "Just… seeing what you are up to over here."

"Oh." Sheldon scooted his desk chair forward nonchalantly, pulling himself just out of reach of Amy's hand. "I'm trying to figure out a way to measure whether gravity has any effect on antimatter. You know… like it does on matter."

"Interesting."

"Well, of course it is. That's why I'm _interested_ in it."

"Well… do you think that it does?"

"Does what?"

"Have an effect?"

"I don't know… that's what I'm trying to figure out."

Amy stood beside him in silence for a few more moments, before Sheldon tilted his head to look at her. "Anything else?"

"No. I suppose not." She tried not to take his harsh tone too personally. When he was in a zone like this, it was typical for him to be very short with people.

"Hey, Ames…" Penny called. "I've got to run back down to the car to get a few boxes of decorations for my apartment. Leonard, do you want to help me?" Penny widened her eyes at her boyfriend and nudged her head toward the door.

"Oh," Leonard picked up on the hint. "Yeah… sure." He hopped off of the chair he had been standing on, and gave his roommate an encouraging slap on the back as he jogged past him. "See ya later, bud. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Amy watched her friends close the door gently behind themselves before returning her attention to her boyfriend. His fingers were briskly typing numbers into the formulas he had created, and then scribbling the resulting data onto a notepad beside his keyboard.

_If only he could find a way to put that level of concentration into other aspects of his life, _Amy thought._ His relationship with me, perhaps?_

_Buck up, Fowler_, she told herself. _You promised yourself you'd be more confident. You promised yourself changes by the end of the year. Now's the time to start! _She just wished that he wasn't so absorbed in his work. She hated disturbing him when he was so focused.

_Oh, who am I kidding? He's always focused on something._

"Sheldon?"

"Mm?"

"Do you… ?"

_This is crazy. I don't even know what I want to say…_

Amy found herself suddenly unable to put more than two words together. She alternated between "Um..." and "Uh..." several times, before her boyfriend finally turned to her with an irritated expression.

"Well, spit it out, kiddo! I'm in the zone here."

Her cheeks flushed at his pet name for her, and she realized that she was being ridiculous. _When did I become so needy?_ She shook her head at her behavior. _Sheldon gives me plenty of attention... there's no need to press the issue right now._

"Nevermind." She smiled and brought her hand back up to rub his shoulder. But, to her dismay, he again tensed and edged away from her. The light pink blush on her cheeks faded away, replaced by a deeper reddish hue as the frustration within her started to rear it's ugly head once again.

"Is my hand cold or something?"

"What?"

"My hand. Is it cold? You keep pulling away from me."

"Do I?" Sheldon's eyes darted to his keyboard. "Um… well, yes. It _is_ cold, actually."

"Is that why you are pulling away?"

He shook his head, but refused to lock eyes with his girlfriend. "I don't care for unnecessary touching, Amy. You know that."

"It didn't seem to bother you too much when Penny patted you on the back earlier. Or Leonard just now."

Sheldon froze, clearly digging through his memory of the past few minutes. His eyes widened when he realized that Amy was correct.

"And you've hugged Penny before," Amy added.

Sheldon gave a nervous cough. "Those occasions have been rare. And I got sick the last time I hugged her… so… that'll teach me."

"You hug your mother, too," Amy said.

"I've hugged you as well, if you recall," he argued. "What's your point?"

"No," Amy insisted. "_I've_ hugged _you_. There's a difference, remember?"

"Is _that_ what this is about again?" Sheldon groaned. "Are you going to keep bringing up _who_ kissed _whom_ or _who_ hugged _whom_? Because I told you before… it doesn't matter."

"It does to me," Amy said. "How come you can easily hug some other people… but not me?"

Sheldon took a deep breath, and then closed his laptop and pushed away from his desk. He slowly rose out of his chair, straightening his PacMan t-shirt, and finally locked eyes with his girlfriend. "You're different."

"How?"

"Amy," Sheldon paused a moment to gather is thoughts before continuing. "I don't find it _easy_ to hug anyone. But with some people it's less… unnerving… than it would be with you."

_Unnerving? Touching me?_

"Oh." There was nothing more too add, really. Certainly nothing that could mask her disappointment at what Sheldon was revealing to her.

"Some things just… have different reactions than other things," Sheldon explained, settling into his spot on the couch. "I mean, take a look at water. If you mix water with titanium tetrachloride, things can get crazy. Mix it with soup and you've just got watered down chicken noodle."

"I don't understand what you are saying to me, Sheldon," Amy said firmly. _Is he comparing our relationship to weak soup?_ If he was telling her that he didn't feel anything with her, than he needed to just come out and say it. Stop beating around the bush.

"How do you not understand?" Then a knowing look came over his face and he chuckled to himself. "Oh, that's right. You're a biologist."

Amy frowned at him, but he ignored her and continued. "Well, if you mix titanium tetrachloride with water you get hydrogen chloride gas as a byproduct… potentially dangerous. However if you mix the same – "

"Sheldon, I understand basic chemistry!" The anger in Amy's voice was slowly growing. "Quit talking to me like I'm Wolowitz. I'm not an idiot!"

Sheldon blinked at her outburst. "You're absolutely right," he said. "My apologies." Underneath his breath, he muttered, "_Talk about volatile reactions."_

Amy sighed. "Sheldon, if you are bored with me, then just say so."

_Please don't say so..._

"Wait… what?" Sheldon furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about?"

"If you don't …_feel_… anything for me, then just – "

Leonard burst through the door, interrupting Amy and dropping about ten boxes and gift bags in the process. He kicked a few of them out of the way so that he could tap the door closed with his foot, still balancing the remaining boxes precariously in his arms.

Amy rolled her eyes. _Perfect timing, Leonard... as usual._

"What's all that?" she asked.

"Oh – just some stuff for Penny's Christmas party." Leonard plopped the packages down onto the counter, then went to retrieve those he had dropped. "Penny says she and Raj are planning some kind of get-together for next week. An 'ugly sweater' party, I think?"

"Oh." Amy glanced at Sheldon. The unsaid words still hung in the air between them. Her boyfriend's eyes met hers. He looked as though he still had a lot he wanted to tell her, but his roommate's arrival had thrown him completely off track.

He eventually broke her gaze, and stood up to reprimand his friend. "Where, pray tell, is this party going to take place?"

"Don't worry, Sheldon," Leonard assured him. "It'll be at Penny's apartment this time."

Sheldon nodded his approval. "Very well. Enjoy yourself."

"Well, you're coming too," Leonard said.

"I most certainly am not."

"Why not? Amy will be there," Leonard peered around Sheldon at Amy. "Won't you Amy? You're invited and we'd love to have you come."

How could she say no to a Christmas party with her best friends in the world? If she couldn't be with her relatives on Christmas, these friends were as close to family as she could get.

She beamed at Leonard. "Of course I'll be there."

"Amy!" Sheldon turned to her in surprise. "What about me?"

"What _about_ you?"

"Well, if everyone else will be at the party, I'll be over here alone." He kicked his toe on his heel. "You aren't going to stay with me? We can order pizza. I'll even let you pick the toppings. As long as it's not anchovies. Or spinach. Or pineapple." He paused. "Actually, nevermind. I'll pick the toppings."

_Oh geez. Look at him. _He bit his lip as he waited for her answer, and it almost sent a tingle up her spine. _God, he's sexy when he wants something from me. When he needs me..._

Who was she kidding? This was Sheldon. Sure, she enjoyed alone time with her boyfriend, but this was also _Christmas_. She may not be religious, but she wanted the feeling of group camaraderie that she was accustomed to at the holidays. She wanted the joyful Christmas atmosphere. She wouldn't get that with him.

Apparently, according to Sheldon, all she would get with him would be 'weak soup'.

Besides, it was high-time Sheldon started doing the things that _she_ wanted to do, rather than Amy being forced to change her schedule for him. _Confidence, Fowler. You can do this._

"I want to go to the party with our friends, Sheldon," Amy said. "Please come with me?"

Sheldon narrowed his eyes at her, then turned to Leonard. "What does an 'ugly sweater' party entail?"

"I dunno," Leonard shrugged. "Everyone just wears ugly Christmas sweaters and hangs out?"

Sheldon scoffed at his roommate, as though it was the most ridiculous thing he'd heard since quantum loop gravity, but he eventually nodded at Amy.

"Fine," he groaned. "I'll go. But I'm not wearing one of those stupid sweaters."

* * *

**A/N: I just can't say thank you enough for all the reviews. Keep 'em coming please! Constructive criticism too! I take it all to heart. :o)**

**Thanks!**


	4. The Mistletoe Vacillation

**PRE-CHAPTER NOTE:** Hey everyone! I wanted to make a quick note up top to say thank you so much for all the reviews and messages about the last chapter. I'm so pleased that most of you liked it. It seemed to be pretty polarizing, as I received PMs from people who both loved it and others who hated it. I appreciate receiving both types of messages, because I do like hearing how you truly feel. For those who didn't like it, I hope it doesn't sour your opinions of the rest of my story! Much love to you all! :o) Love it or hate it, keep the reviews coming, please!

* * *

**The Festivity Infusion Process  
Chapter Four: The Mistletoe Vacillation**

* * *

Almost a week had passed since Amy's conversation with Sheldon, and she was still a little peeved by her boyfriend's seemingly indifferent attitude toward their relationship.

Surprisingly enough, though, it was Bernadette who helped her see a sliver of reason.

"Sounds like he loves you, to me," the blonde microbiologist said as the two women sipped their drinks at a local coffee shop.

Amy rarely spent time with Bernadette one-on-one. Typically, the two were only with each other when Penny invited them both over or if the whole gang was gathering together. However, Penny had been absolutely no help on the gift front for Sheldon, so Amy had been forced to call upon reinforcements – in the form of Bernadette – for assistance. She assumed that since Bernadette had obtained a PhD and was a more 'intellectually inclined' individual than Penny, she might have a little more insight into what someone like Sheldon would enjoy.

"_Loves_ me?" Amy giggled in disbelief. "I don't see how you are picking that up from what he told me. He said that our relationship was like weak soup, Bernadette. Does that really sound like 'love' to you?"

A tiny sideways grin formed on the petite woman's face, and she shook her head. "Oh, Amy, you don't see it, do you?"

"See what?"

"You're looking at it all backwards," Bernadette explained. "_You_ are the one whose touch sends him over the edge. Not Penny. Not Leonard. And certainly not his mother. He wasn't saying that touching _you_ was like weak soup. He was comparing physical contact with you to an eye-burning, skin-irritating gas." She paused for a moment as her words sunk in. "I thought that would sound better than it actually does. Believe me, though - it's a good thing."

Amy set her warm cup of hot chocolate down on the table in front of her.

_Could this be true? Had she jumped to her conclusion too quickly? _That certainly would be typical of her. She always jumped to the worst possible outcome first, and then asked questions later. That's how she'd ended up on the no-fly list the last time she'd attempted air travel.

On the other hand, Sheldon showing a true emotional connection to Amy was very rare. She couldn't be blamed for pole-vaulting to the least appealing conclusion.

"But…" Amy stammered.

"Believe me, you may not see it… and _he_ may not see it… but he loves you. Probably as much as you love him."

"I've never said that I was in love him," she said defensively. But Bernadette was right, of course. Amy knew that she was in love with Sheldon, even if she'd never admitted it out loud.

Her friend scoffed at her. "Really Amy? How's that marriage plan coming along, _hmm_?"

Amy blushed.

Her marriage trajectory chart was way off track, actually. In all honesty, she'd begun ignoring the charts once the data seemed to be trending toward a much later marriage date than she had originally predicted. It was at that point that she'd tucked the information away under her bed, promising herself that she wouldn't dwell on it. However, every now and then, Amy would give in to temptation and pull it out to update it and assess their relationship's progress.

And it was _because_ she knew the truth – based her projections – that Amy wasn't exactly buying into the idea that her boyfriend loved her at this point in their timeline as a couple. Everyone else kept telling her as much, but based on the facts at hand, it all still seemed a little far-fetched for Sheldon. And Amy was all about the data, as any respectable scientist should be.

"Ugh! Why are men so confusing?" Amy slid her fingers underneath her glasses to rub her eyes. "Why can't they just say what they mean?"

"Honey, I think most men say the same thing about women."

Amy downed the remaining bit of hot chocolate in one big gulp, and then hurriedly began gathering her belongings.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"I have to go talk to Sheldon," Amy explained. "I'm sure he's going mad because we haven't finished our conversation from the other day. You know how obsessed he is with closure. He's been texting me all week, but I've just been too busy at work to meet up with him."

"But what about your present for him? I thought that was why you wanted to get together?"

Amy sighed. "I'll figure something out. Thanks for your help, Bernadette."

She grabbed her bag, and walked out the door of the coffee shop – heading straight for 2311 Los Robles Ave.

On the drive to Sheldon's apartment, Amy had time to think… about everything. _If_ Bernadette was right; _if_ Sheldon _did_ love her – and that was a big 'if' – then he would need to feel comfortable with the idea before he vocalized his feelings to her. He was a self-proclaimed 'know-it-all'... and justifiably so, in Amy's opinion... but _this_ - romantic love - was _way_ outside of his comfort zone. If he was, in fact, in _love_ with her, then he most likely wouldn't even be aware of it. Amy would need to give him time to work it out for himself.

_Who knows how long that will take_, she thought.

It was because Amy was absolutely certain that _she_ loved _him_ that she finally knew what she wanted to do. She'd figured out the perfect gift for Sheldon.

As she parked her car outside her boyfriend's building, Amy realized that she didn't need progression in her relationship by the end of the year to prove that she was growing as a person. She didn't need him to reciprocate her feelings right away. She didn't need a declaration of love. She didn't need a boyfriend who liked to cuddle or who sent her text messages dripping with lovey-dovey sap. She didn't need to change Sheldon's perspective. No, she could simply change her _own_. She could _choose_ to be satisfied with where her relationship seemed determined to stay, and focus more on her own happiness in other areas. After all, it had been good enough for her in the beginning of their relationship... why not now?

The sooner her perspective changed, the sooner she could just be … _content_._  
_

It wasn't the type of change she had originally set out to accomplish, but it was what their relationship needed. _Sometimes experiments require adjustment_, she reasoned. This particular adjustment would not only be the perfect gift for Sheldon, but it would be the perfect New Year's resolution for herself as well.

* * *

Nobody was home when Amy arrived at Sheldon's apartment.

After waiting for a few minutes outside his door, Amy grew impatient and let herself into Penny's apartment with the spare key that her bestie had given her. She quickly grabbed her friend's copy of Leonard's key and darted back across the hall to open the door and wait inside for her boyfriend to return.

The minutes seemed like hours as she ran through every conceivable response that Sheldon might give her when she finally told him what she wanted to say. She was certain he'd be ecstatic. Maybe she'd even get a hug?

_Not that I need a hug,_ she reminded herself.

She'd been sitting in Sheldon's spot for almost thirty minutes before she heard the sound of bags rustling in the hallway. A key clicked in the lock a couple of times, as the person on the other side attempted to unlock the already open door.

"That's funny…" Sheldon muttered as he shuffled into the apartment, staring at the doorknob suspiciously. As soon as Amy shifted on the couch, he screamed like a four year-old girl.

"Good Lord, woman!" Sheldon cried with his hand over his chest. "You 'bout gave me a heart attack!"

"I'm sorry, Sheldon." And she was. She hadn't intended to scare him. In fact, that was the _exact opposite_ of her goal for the evening.

"Don't you know it's illegal to enter someone's home without their permission?"

Amy stood up and put her hands on her hips. "So _you_ can let yourself into _my_ apartment willy-nilly, but I can't do the same?"

Sheldon pursed his lips together, and shut the door behind him.

"Why are you here?" He asked. "It's a little early for the party."

Amy glanced at the clock. Penny and Raj's ugly sweater party was set to begin in about 45 minutes. She had been so caught up in her revelation, she'd forgotten all about it.

"Sheldon, I want to apologize," Amy said, returning her eyes to her boyfriend.

"Good." He set the bag he was carrying on his desk chair, and slid his jacket off his shoulders.

"Don't you want to know _why_ I am apologizing?"

"I should think it's obvious," Sheldon said. "Your behavior has been irrational for the past few days."

"Irrational?"

He nodded. "Not unlike the square root of two. Don't worry, though, I forgive you. You can't help that your hormones are all screwy this time of the month."

Amy's eyes grew wide. "This time of the month? If you are referring to ... "

"Of course I am," he interrupted. "It's the 24th."

_Dang. His eidetic memory can really be a thorn in my side sometimes. _She silently cursed the day she allowed him access to her online menstrual cycle calendar.

"That doesn't have anything to do with why I was upset, Sheldon."

"Really? That's your _one_ reasonable excuse and you aren't going to take it? If I was a woman, I'd use that trick all the time to justify snapping at everyone. Then maybe people wouldn't give me such a hard time about it."

"You know what Sheldon?" Amy realized she was raising her voice, so she closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath to calm herself. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter why I was upset, and it doesn't matter that you think I was being irrational."

Amy knew that, over the years, her boyfriend had become more adept at understanding her emotional responses. Her elevated tone must have caught him off-guard, because he stopped dead in his tracks and bit his lip while he waited for her to continue.

"Sheldon," she said, her voice growing softer. "I want to give you your Christmas present."

"Oh…" His shoulders fell. "Must we do this now? I know that it's protocol at this time of year, but I really am not prepared at this juncture – "

"You don't have to get me anything, Sheldon."

"Well, if you got me something, then I most certainly do."

"Let me explain first," she said. "I couldn't find anything in a store that was good enough to give you. Nothing seemed worthy enough to be your Christmas gift."

"Really? Not even the Ironman themed Xbox with the arc reactor decorative attachment on the side that I've been hinting at for weeks?"

She groaned. "Sheldon, I'm trying to say something here. Let me finish... please?" Her eyes begged him to allow her to speak. He seemed to understand and nodded at her.

"Thank you," she said. "As I was saying... You've always done so much for me. There was simply nothing I could buy that would demonstrate how much you mean to me."

Sheldon didn't say a word. He continued to stare at her, waiting for her to finish... as she'd requested.

She cleared her throat, before continuing. "So, what I've decided to do is make you a promise. I promise not to say another word about your affections – or lack thereof – toward me. I won't utter another sentence about the progression of our relationship. I am happy with you… just like _this_. You deserve to be comfortable with me… not on edge."

Sheldon was staring at her as though she were a bomb about to go off. When he realized she was finished talking, he relaxed his shoulders and swallowed.

_What is he thinking?_

"Say something," she finally urged.

He blinked at her, then pointed to her outfit. "Is that what you are going to wear to the party?"

Amy looked down at her green cardigan and denim skirt. She hadn't had time to change since she left Bernadette in the coffee shop, and had completely forgotten that she would need her 'ugly sweater', which was tucked neatly away inside her closet at home.

_Wait… did he just completely change the subject?_

"Sheldon… I meant say something _about my gift for you."_

"Oh." He blinked at her again. "Thank you." He quickly turned to pull a clothing box out of his shopping bag.

She frowned. _Is that all he has to say?_ It wasn't quite the reaction she had been hoping for. She expected that he would be overjoyed, but he was behaving as though she'd just offered him a Kleenex after a sneeze.

"Unfortunately," Sheldon said, "My gift for you is not quite ready. I'm still… figuring out specifics."

"I meant what I said," Amy insisted. "You don't need to get me anything."

"Nonsense. Of course I do. Reciprocation is the core of gift giving. Furthermore, you're my girlfriend. I _want_ to get you something."

Amy couldn't help but smile. _Perhaps there is an ounce of truth to Bernadette's theory after all._

"Now, I have to get ready for the party," he added. "Since you are forcing me to go."

"That's just it – you don't have to go if you don't want to, Sheldon," Amy explained. "My gift goes into effect as of _now_. So, you aren't obligated to go with me. I'm not going to ask you to do that. I won't ask you to do anything that you don't want to do. At least not anything that will make you feel uneasy. Not anymore."

"Does this mean we can stay here?" His eyes filled with hopefulness. "We could have our own party... _if you know what I mean_?" He threw her a wink.

Unfortunately, Amy _did_ know what he meant.

"I don't really want to play Mario Party and eat pizza with you, Sheldon. I want to hang out with our friends."

Just because she had decided to give Sheldon the space he desired, didn't mean Amy was going to give up on her own quest for personal growth. She needed to do things that _she_ wanted to do, regardless of whether Sheldon chose to join her. And this Christmas party was one of those things.

He groaned. "Ugh. Fine. I'm going to the party, then. There's no way I can eat a whole pizza by myself."

He carried the box he was holding back to his room, shouting to Amy as he disappeared around the corner in the hallway. "I'm going to change. Feel free to make yourself comfortable… which you've apparently already done."

Amy heard his door click shut and frowned. She wished that he'd said more about her gift to him. She was prepared for almost any reaction she could think of... but not no reaction at all. His response had left her in a state of limbo. _Does he like my suggestion? Is he still upset with me? Will he still feel on edge when I touch him?_

She tried her best to shrug it off so that she could enjoy the rest of her evening, which she had very much been looking forward to.

While Sheldon changed clothes, Amy took the opportunity to create a makeshift 'ugly sweater' by adding some embellishments to her own cardigan using some of Leonard's extra Christmas decorations. She stapled bits of tinsel and garland across the front, and hooked a few bright red bulbs into the fabric.

_Well, this is certainly tacky_, she thought to herself as she studied her reflection in the window.

Sheldon finally emerged from his room and immediately did a double take at Amy's ridiculous additions to her clothing. However, he said nothing about it and instead made a motion to shoo Amy toward the door. "Come on. Let's get this over with," he said.

"Wait a minute…" Amy paused with her hand on the doorknob and turned to her boyfriend. "This is an _ugly_ sweater party."

"I know." He gave her a perplexed look. "What's your point?"

"Aren't you going to change into something… well… _ugly_?"

Sheldon held his arms out to display his solid red cashmere sweater, which he'd pulled over a collared, white button-up shirt. It was decidedly 'average', especially for him, given that he typically wore t-shirts depicting comic book characters or references to video games.

"What are you talking about? This is the ugliest sweater I could find! I bought it today, specifically for the occasion."

"Really? I think you look… nice," her eyes roamed over his tall, lanky frame. "Like Mr. Rogers." _A sexy Mr. Rogers._

"You have no taste, apparently. This is hideous. I look like Waldo's lesser known, unstylish brother." He paused. "Where's Weirdo? Don't worry! He's not hard to find." He pointed at himself dramatically.

Amy rolled her eyes and opened the door. "Fine. Let's go. They're waiting on us over there."

Sheldon nodded and closed the door behind the two of them, then fell in line behind his girlfriend as she crossed the hall. They quietly approached apartment 4B and stood outside a moment, his eyes meeting hers briefly before rapidly darting to the floor again.

Amy gave the door a quick knock.

"Penny and Leonard." Sheldon said softly. Amy paused, and then reached up to knock a second time.

"Penny and Leonard," he muttered again.

Amy smiled in spite of herself. She was still unsure how she felt about the situation that she had just created in their relationship. She wasn't angry with Sheldon, though. He can't help how he feels. Or _doesn't_ feel. But she still found comfort in his obsessive-compulsive behavior, and was overcome with the realization that she wouldn't want some of his quirks to ever change.

She reached up once more and finished rapping her knuckles on the door a third time.

"Penny and Leonard," the two said together.

Penny popped open the door and a big grin spread across her face as she took in Sheldon's subdued clothing. "Well, hello there, neighbor!"

Penny herself was wearing reindeer antlers and the most ridiculously tacky sweater Amy had every laid eyes on. It had little presents sewn underneath a poorly ironed-on Christmas tree. Her entire torso was strung with colorful, blinking lights.

"Oh, my," Amy said. "That's… quite an ensemble."

Penny beamed and looked down at her clothes. "I know, right?! It took me all week to make it." She waved them inside.

"Hello, everyone," Amy said as she entered. Stuart, Raj and Leonard were already there, munching on some popcorn. Christmas music was lightly playing in the background, and a warm and fuzzy feeling grew inside Amy. She loved this time of year, and it was even better to be spending it with friends who enjoyed being around her as well.

"I'm here," Sheldon sighed, as though his mere presence was taking great effort on his part. And it probably was.

"Hey guys!" Leonard greeted. "Howard and Bernadette are on their way. They're running late as usual. It's sad that they can never be on time, really."

"No… what's sad is that _you_ were able to find clothing suitable for this party from your current wardrobe," Penny rolled her eyes as she poured herself a glass of champagne. "We didn't even have to do anything to it." She shook her head sadly.

Leonard assessed his clothing, and then gave a relenting nod. "Yeah, ok. It is pretty bad."

"I have to say, Amy, your sweater is positively awful," Stuart grinned at her as he took another handful of popcorn and threw a piece into his mouth.

Amy blushed and brushed off the comic book storeowner's compliment with a wave. "I just threw this together at the last minute."

"_Hey_!" Sheldon snapped at Stuart. "You need to keep comments like that to yourself."

"Sheldon, he was just being nice. My clothes are _supposed_ to look bad."

"That may be, but it's _my_ job to make offhand generalizations about your clothing. Not his."

Amy frowned at him. "Ok. Well, by all means... feel free to do so."

Sheldon's gaze ran from her head to her toes and back again. "You look horrible."

Amy couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you, Sheldon."

Another knock on the door got their attention.

"That must be Bernadette and Howard!" Penny skipped across the room to let the tiny couple in.

"The party as arrived!" Howard declared as he strolled inside ostentatiously, the flashing red nose on his Rudolph belt buckle drawing everyone's attention to his crotch-region.

"_Ooo…._" Bernadette teased as she followed her husband in, shrugging off her coat. "Look at Amy and Sheldon!"

The whole group tore their eyes from Howard's belt and immediately echoed Bernadette's "_ooooo_".

"What?" Sheldon asked, his eyes darting between himself and his girlfriend. "What is it?" Amy also looked around, but couldn't see what could be causing such a commotion.

Raj pointed above them and squealed with glee. "Look! It's mistletoe."

They both peered toward the ceiling. Indeed, it was mistletoe – dangling just above their heads.

"You know what _that_ means," Bernadette grinned, settling in next to Leonard on the couch.

Sheldon had an expression of legitimate confusion. "What does it mean?"

A teasing smirk formed on Penny's face and a sparkle lit up her eyes. "You have to kiss," she said.

Amy and Sheldon threw a panicked look at each other.

"Says who?" Sheldon questioned, looking back at the group.

"Says… everyone," Leonard scooted to the edge of the couch. "It's a Christmas tradition. You have to kiss her."

"Because we're standing underneath a parasitic plant? Which, I might add, may as well be called a 'poop branch'?"

"_What_?" Leonard asked, dumbfounded. That familiar sound of exhaustion that usually emerged when talking to his roommate creeped into his voice.

"Mistletoe's literal translation is 'dung branch'," Sheldon explained.

"How do you know that?"

"I know quite a bit about mistletoe, Leonard. I used to shoot it out of trees with my father as a boy in East Texas. Well… not so much 'shoot' as cover my ears and wish I were somewhere else." He shrugged. "But we _never_ kissed under it."

"Well, that's what you're supposed to do when it's inside a house."

"Yeah, Sheldon," Raj encouraged. "It's the accepted convention."

Raj's comment seemed to make Sheldon reluctantly reconsider, but Amy could tell he was still not overjoyed by the prospect. And, if Amy was being completely honest, she wasn't either. Not only had she _just_ promised to take things slow with Sheldon, but she also didn't want their first 'real' kiss to be a forced spectacle in front of all of their friends.

Amy decided, though, that she would do whatever Sheldon wanted to do. This would be his choice. _If he is comfortable with this, then I am._

"What do _you_ want to do, Amy?" he asked her quietly with a gentle nudge of the arm.

_Oh crap. He's throwing it back to me._

"Um…" Amy glanced at the gang. They were all, quite literally, on the edge of their seats. Stuart had practically fallen onto the floor in anticipation.

"Um…" Amy repeated, meeting Sheldon's gaze. He was staring at her and her alone… his expression completely unreadable. _He's really going to let me decide?_

She seriously considered it for a moment. He was right there; Ready and willing. But then her promise to herself - and to Sheldon - reered it's ugly head once again.

_Why did I have to pick now to get all independent and level-headed?_

Amy took a deep breath and backed away from him… stepping out from under the danger of the mistletoe. She shook her head 'no', then shyly looked at the floor.

Sheldon nodded once in acceptance of her decision, and the rest of the group heaved a collective, frustrated sigh.

"Talk about an anticlimax," Raj fell back into the couch.

"Well, can you really blame her?" Howard asked. "I wouldn't want to put my lips on his mouth either."

"Oh, _really_, Howard?" Sheldon gave him a condescending glare. "I know _exactly_ where my mouth has been. And I guarantee it's been in far less foul places than _yours_. I cringe at the idea of what might turn up in a culture from your cheek swab." He turned on his heel and moved quickly to the kitchen to make some hot tea.

"_Wait..._ " Penny whispered, suddenly aware of what had transpired. "_Was he actually going to kiss her_?"

The group peered suspiciously at Sheldon, who ignored them and set the kettle on Penny's stove to heat the water for his drink.

After a few moments, the awkwardness from the almost-kiss had passed and the group spent the rest of the night in laughter, participating in the games that Penny had planned - albeit, with Amy's heart pounding a little bit faster than usual.

By the end of the night, almost everyone had forgotten about the mistletoe... except for Stuart, who remained staunchly fixed underneath it, hoping that one of the women of the group might pass by and offer him a friendly Christmas smooch.

None of them did.

* * *

**Notes: Alrighty! That's my Christmas chapter for you guys! Sorry its a bit late. I really did mean to have it up by Christmas Eve... but ... you know... holiday happenings took over. It's long, so cut me some slack. haha**

**There are still a couple more chapters left to wrap things up as we head into the New Year. Those chapters will be posted ****_just after_**** the actual holiday, as my schedule is jam-packed this next week and I still need to edit them.**

**In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying this! Let me know in a review! I love to read your thoughts. They are always appreciated.**

**Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! :o)**


	5. The Countdown Proxy Osculation

**NOTE: **Penultimate chapter, ya'll! I meant to have it up yesterday, but I think the website was having issues. Also - I began this story at the beginning of Season 7, so many of the things that have taken place regarding some of the relationships (ie, Penny/Leonard's relationship, and Wil Wheaton/Amy having scenes together again), were not taken into consideration for this. Just... keep that in mind.

Enjoy!

* * *

**The Festivity Infusion Process  
Chapter Five: The Countdown Proxy Osculation**

* * *

"So are we going to talk about this?" Amy asked.

Sheldon looked curiously at her as they crossed the hall back to his apartment. They'd decided to leave Penny and Raj's Christmas party early... Sheldon, because he didn't want to throw off his sleeping pattern - after all, 'neutrinos don't take holidays off'; and Amy simply because she was tired and had a lot on her mind.

"Talk about what?"

"About… you know… the kiss."

"What kiss?"

"Well, the almost-kiss, I guess I should say."

"There was no 'almost-kiss'," Sheldon argued. "I gave you the choice and you said no. Ergo, there was no 'almost' to it. In the words of Yoda: 'Do or do not. There is no try'."

"But you really would have done it?"

"Yes. Raj said it was the accepted convention," He twisted his key in the lock and gave her a puzzled look. "Is that not accurate?"

Amy shrugged. How would she know? She'd never been to a Christmas party with mistletoe. Nevertheless, she'd been surprised that Sheldon had left the decision to kiss up to her. Amy thought for sure he would immediately side-step the whole thing. When he didn't, she'd taken it as a positive sign that he was becoming more comfortable with her touch. Turns out, he was just open to it because it was considered 'socially appropriate'.

She shouldn't have been let down; especially after everything she had just promised Sheldon earlier in the evening. But she was. _I suppose I can't just flip a switch and have these feelings go away_, she realized.

Still, Amy was determined to try to refocus her goals – shift them toward more personal objectives: independence, career progression, walking confidently in heels.

Sheldon pushed open his door, and turned to bid his girlfriend farewell for the evening.

"I still can't believe that Raj wants to host yet _another_ party," Sheldon moaned before saying his official goodbye. "I mean… how many times can we all get together without becoming tired of one another?"

Amy's forehead wrinkled. "We all see each other practically every day anyway. How will a New Year's Eve party be any different? Besides, it's at the comic book store. You love going to the comic book store."

"Well, I think we should all give each other a chance to miss one another. I could do without seeing Howard seven days a week. And if we _must_ get together, I don't see why we couldn't all come over _here_. You know - play Halo, have a Firefly marathon, break out Settlers of Catan... Why must it be a 'party'?"

"Because there's an inherent excitement as people move from one year into the next," Amy explained. "Leaving the past behind, looking forward to all the ways that you'd like to change over the next year, setting goals for yourself. It's meant to be inspirational and hopeful, Sheldon. People like to celebrate that."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, _please_. People don't change."

"They can if they set their mind to it," she said, with a hint of defiance. _She_ was certainly planning to change. And she hoped that in the future, Sheldon might be open to some change as well. In truth, they'd both already transformed so much over the years.

"Well, I don't see how switching the number that you write at the end of the date should be any catalyst for life improvement. The calendar system is man-made, Amy. Sure, it's based in science, but the end of the year doesn't have any significant social meaning. In fact, each calendar year is off by about 26 seconds. We should hardly be planning our life's major events around something so horribly inaccurate."

"I suppose you think that we should be all be calculating time by 'star dates', like in Star Wars?"

"'Star dates' are from Star _Trek_," he said with admonishment. "And they aren't just a factor of time, like the Gregorian calendar. Time isn't local, it's universal... so a 'star-date' also has to take your space coordinates into account. It would really be useless in an era prior to long-term human space exploration." He looked at her as though she should have known this already. "Really, Amy, don't you understand space-time and relativity at all?"

"Ok, Sheldon," Amy said, giving up. "Forget I said anything about it." She shifted her purse strap over her shoulder. "If you don't want to go to Raj's party, you don't have to go. I told you earlier that I wasn't going to ask you to come to these things with me. So if you would rather stay home and play a board game… go ahead."

"You don't want me to go?"

"I didn't say that," Amy pointed out. "I said you don't _have_ to go. Whether or not I _want_ you there is irrelevant. What I _want_ is for you to do what _you_ want."

Sheldon studied her a moment. "And you promise you won't be upset if I don't go?" he asked skeptically. "I know how you women-folk are. I grew up with a twin sister. One minute it's '_Shelly, can you set up my TiVo_?' and the next minute I get a kick in an unpleasant place for scheduling multiple recordings of _Doctor Who_."

Amy shook her head. "I'm not going to kick your genitals, Sheldon."

"Well, if you get any ideas... just remember that you still haven't used up all your Cooper Coupons from the last time you changed your mind about something like this. Try using those before resorting to physical violence."

"I'm saving them for a rainy day," she grinned.

He considered her in silence for a moment and then nodded.

"Very well," he said. "I won't go, then. Thank you. Catan isn't a one-player game, so that's off the table... but I _would_ very much like to re-watch _Firefly_. Ooo - or I could practice my theremin! This will be fun!"

Amy couldn't help but feel disappointed. But – she had given him the option. From now on, she wouldn't be pushing him to do anything with her. If he truly wanted to spend time with her, then he would have chosen to come.

"Ok," she said, forcing a smile. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Ok. Goodbye." He paused a moment before adding, "You really are a very good girlfriend, Amy."

She coyly bit her lip. "You're a good boyfriend, too."_ The best boyfriend... most of the time._

He smiled and softly clicked the door closed, leaving Amy standing in the hallway alone. She could still hear the laughter coming from Penny's apartment – where the rest of the gang had decided to carry the fun on into Christmas day by playing darts. Most of the others had been quite tipsy by the time Amy and Sheldon had chosen to leave.

As she walked down the stairs, she relived the almost-kiss in her mind and pondered what it meant for their progress as a couple - it would really take a lot of effort for her not to blow the dust off of her marriage projection chart that she had stored under her bed to add in these recent developments. But, still, she couldn't help wondering where they might be at the end of next year.

She thought about the upcoming New Year's Eve party and the festivities that she counted herself lucky to have been a part of his holiday season. She thought of her friends, and about her own future and the new doors that were opening for her at work.

Regardless of what Sheldon believed, the end of the year really did have meaning.

* * *

Raj spared no expense for the New Year's Eve party at the comic book store. Pop music filled the room, and a disco ball hung from the center of the ceiling. Dozens of balloons and '2014' labeled banners littered the walls. Several bat-signals were staged strategically around the shop. They flashed intermittently in various colors, creating a very nerdy 'club-like' atmosphere. All in all, it was the perfect mix of comics and a traditional New Year's Eve party.

Amy couldn't help but think that Sheldon would have actually enjoyed this gathering... had he decided to come, that is.

"The place looks great, Raj," Leonard said, patting his friend on the back.

"I thought of everything," Raj beamed with pride. "I call this drink The Green Lantern." He passed a few martini glasses around to the gang, then raised his glass in a toast and took a large swig of the green beverage.

"This is just a Grasshopper," Penny said as she studied the drink in her hands.

"Hey!" Raj snapped. "It's The Green Lantern. I don't tell you what to call the food on the Cheesecake Factory menu."

Penny rolled her eyes, and walked away to find Bernadette. The rest of their group dispersed into smaller cliques, leaving Amy alone by the snack table to analyze the crowd.

There were many people in attendance that she didn't know, including an interesting-looking gentleman whom Leonard had dubbed 'Captain Sweatpants'. Leonard seemed surprised that the man had managed to find a date for the evening – a woman wearing brightly colored spandex and legwarmers. _There's someone for everyone, I suppose, _Amy thought.

Wil Wheaton had also decided to join the party as well, and Amy frowned when she saw him heading her way across the floor.

"You're Sheldon's girlfriend, right?" Wil asked.

"Yes," She replied curtly.

"I don't think we really got off on the right foot," he said. "I'm sorry about that."

She eyed him for a moment, but then gave him a reluctant smile. She didn't care much for Wil, or the hold he seemed to have over her boyfriend, but she was willing to give him a shot. _New year, new start, _she thought.

"Its okay," she said. "It's just hard seeing Sheldon admire someone else so much."

"Well, you know, I was Sheldon's mortal enemy for awhile," he said. "So I'm pretty sure we could eventually get along too. Even though I know I'm not your favorite person."

She smiled again. "Thank you, Wil. And for the record: You're not so bad." She held out her hand as an offer of peace, and he took it happily.

"Where is Sheldon tonight, by the way?" he asked.

"Oh, he's at home. He had some important matters to attend to." _Like watching imaginary space travelers on a canceled television program_. _Surely it was canceled for a reason?_

_No, no_, She reminded herself. _I gave him the option. Don't get mad, Amy._

Wil nodded. "He certainly likes to keep busy. I'm surprised he let you come here alone, though."

"What do you mean?"

"He's very protective of you. He almost punched me for disrespecting you, you know."

"No, I didn't know," she said with surprise. Her heart fluttered. She certainly would have liked to see Sheldon's scrawny, yet manly arms readied to jab Wil in the face. The thought sent a shiver down her spine and her body noticeably quaked a bit. Wil raised an eyebrow at her, but was immediately distracted by slap on the back from Stuart. The rest of the gang wasn't far behind him, blowing noisemakers and being all-around obnoxious.

"There you are, Wil!" Stuart greeted his semi-famous friend.

"Hi Stuart. Thanks for inviting me."

"Hey - where's that girl you were telling me about Stuart?" Raj asked, haphazardly throwing an arm around his friend's shoulders.

"What girl?"

"The _only_ girl you've told me about this past week. The one you met in that online singles forum?"

"Oh… that girl. Yeah. Something came up."

"Oh really? That's too bad."

"Yeah… apparently the photo she used on her profile of her dressed in Spiderman cosplay was in fact because _she_ is a _he_. Apparently Kelly can be a guy's name too." Stuart shrugged. "Who knew?"

Everyone looked around at each other awkwardly.

"It's okay, though," Stuart said, in an attempt to lighten the mood. "He at least bought me a peppermint latte before our date was over. Pretty nice guy, actually." He looked away deep in thought.

"So Ames," Penny leaned into Amy's side, almost falling over in the process. She'd already had much more to drink than Amy believed possible in an hour's time, and Amy had to use all her strength to hold her friend up. "Where's that sexy boyfriend of yours?"

"Oh, he's not going to be coming," Amy said. She was really getting tired of explaining Sheldon's absence to everyone. "He had some things to catch up on at home." She grinned a bit too broadly at Penny – an overcompensation to prove she was okay with her boyfriend not being there.

"Awww, that's a shame," Penny pouted her lip. "I was really looking forward to seeing a Shamy kiss at midnight!"

Amy shrugged at her friend, then pushed her into Leonard's welcoming arms.

"I don't have anyone to kiss at midnight, either," Stuart pointed out. "Mr. Peppermint Latte was a bit of a let down."

"I'm sorry, Stuart." Amy patted him on the back. She really did feel bad for him. He was a great catch. She was confident that someone would see it someday. However, she did feel relieved that she wouldn't be the only one kiss-less as they rang in the New Year.

"I meant… _I _could give you a kiss at midnight. As friends, I mean," Stuart said. "That is, if you think Sheldon would be okay with it?"

Sheldon would almost certainly _not_ be okay with that. He had snapped at Stuart simply for complementing her clothing the other day.

"I don't know…" Amy danced around an outright refusal. She didn't want to disappoint Stuart. He'd always been so kind to her before, but she didn't want to make Sheldon jealous either.

"I know it wouldn't be the same as having Sheldon here," Stuart said morosely, as he looked at the ground, kicking his toe on his heel. "I just thought… since we're both alone and all…"

_Geez, he's pitiful. But in a good way_, she thought as she watched the man rub his arm nervously. _Oh, heck, why not?_

"Ok, Stuart," Amy smiled meekly. "If we kiss on the cheek, I think that would be okay."

"Really?" His eyes met hers and grew wide.

"Er… yeah. I mean… if Sheldon can't be here… you're an acceptable stand-in."

Stuart nodded. "That was my nickname in school - 'Stand-in Stuart'. That's because I was always picked last for stuff." He sighed. "The Sheldon's of the world have it made. They get their choice of the ladies, too. Your boyfriend really lucked out, you know."

Amy blushed. Sheldon did, in fact, have his pick of any woman he wanted. And who _wouldn't_ want to be with someone as intelligent, as focused, and as handsome as her boyfriend? But he had chosen _her_. The man who wanted _nothing_ to do with women in the past… the man who is so adamant about the importance of his career… had chosen to dip is toe into the murky pond of romance with _her_.

_What is so special about me? Why did he choose me?_ Amy wondered.

"Thank you," she told Stuart with all the sincerity in the world. She had needed to hear that from someone.

Stuart smiled.

"Is everybody ready for the countdown?" Raj yelled, and the crowd erupted in cheerful applause. Everyone looked at the clock on the wall, which had been ticking down the time to midnight. Only 15 seconds left.

Amy looked around the store once again. At the beginning of the night, she would have bet that Sheldon would have eventually turn up – but he was nowhere to be seen. She noticed that it had begun to rain outside - he probably wouldn't risk leaving his apartment in that weather.

"10…9… 8…" The crowd loudly counted in unison.

She glanced around once more, hopeful that the tall, lanky man might burst through the door in a scene that would rival _When Harry Met Sally_.

"7…6…5…"

_Quit it_, Amy. _He's not coming._

She forced her eyes away from the door and turned her attention to Stuart. With a half-smile, she took a step toward him.

"4…3…2…1!"

Stuart leaned forward and gave her a light kiss on her cheek, and she returned the friendly smooch on his own cheek. They gave each other a hug, then inched away from one another as red and yellow lightning bolt shaped confetti began falling from the ceiling. _How did Raj manage that? And who's going to clean it up?_

"Thanks, Amy." He said softly, with a sideways smile. "I hope Sheldon won't be upset."

Amy waved his comment away. "He'll be okay." She looked around at the other couples.

Penny and Leonard's lips were locked in the most romantic of kisses that Amy had ever witnessed in person, Howard and Bernadette were dancing slowly together, and Captain Sweatpants and Lady Legwarmers were at each other like animals in heat. _Way to go, Captain Sweatpants_, Amy thought, though her face was distorted in semi-disgust at the pair.

There was a gentle tap on her shoulder. _Sheldon?_ Her heart sped up as she spun around, ending up face to face with Wil Wheaton.

Her smile quickly faded. "Oh. Hi Wil."

"Hi Amy, I just wanted to catch you before I went to George Takei's party. Could you tell Sheldon that I have that signed action figure he wanted?"

Amy nodded quickly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes, of course."

"Thanks! Happy New Year." he waved goodbye and turned to leave, pulling his hooded jacket over his head as he walked out of the comic book store and down the sidewalk in the rain.

Amy mirrored his wave and blew her kazoo softly to herself.

"Happy New Year."

* * *

**NOTE:** I would like to point out that (while I do _enjoy_ Star Trek) I don't know much about the way 'star dates' are calculated. However, I did research the topic to quite an extent. So, any Trekkies out there - if what I have in my story is incorrect, I apologize. I really did do quite of big of digging to make it as close to the truth as possible. I always try to do that if I am unfamiliar with a topic. I hope it's close enough to satisfy the Star Trek fans... but I know how nit-picky fandom can be. ;o) (I'm that way with BBT fandom).

Thank you again for all the reviews that I received on the last chapter. I appreciate them all. Please, if you have any constructive criticism, don't be afraid to send it my way! I love hearing it all! :o)

Only one more chapter left!


	6. The Midnight Deferment

HOLY MOLEY. This chapter just kept getting longer and longer. There really wasn't a natural cut-off place to split it into two chapters, so it took me ages to edit it.

Oh well! Hope you like the wordiness. haha

Last chapter, everyone! It's been a pleasure! :o)

* * *

**The Festivity Infusion Process  
Chapter Six: The Midnight Deferment**

* * *

Amy fell to the floor with a thud.

"Dangit! I'll never get the hang of this." She glared down at her yellow heels with disgust. "How is it that other women can walk so easily in these?"

She grabbed hold of the back of her couch to push herself up to a wobbly standing position, and then hesitantly let go.

It was well after midnight. She couldn't bear to stay at Raj's New Year's Eve party any longer, so she'd taken the earliest opportunity to leave once the last of the confetti had fallen. She refused to continue to be disappointed about the fact that Sheldon hadn't made an appearance at the party to sweep her off her feet - the same feet that were now squeezed uncomfortably into size eight heels - and she was determined to at least start the year off on a forward-thinking note.

_May as well begin with the easiest thing to improve_, she had rationalized when she got home. However, mastering a feminine walk in pumps was proving to be more difficult than she originally thought.

She attempted another awkward catwalk strut across her living room… arms rigidly out to her sides.

_Knock Knock Knock  
_"Amy?"

"Ah!" Startled, she tumbled over again, landing square on her bottom, her nightgown and robe twisting together into a tangled mess.

_Knock Knock Knock  
_"Amy, are you okay?"

"Just a second!" She called, pushing herself to her feet once again and straightening out her clothes.

_Knock Knock Knock  
_"Amy, are you hurt?" Sheldon asked through the door.

"I'm coming!" She tied her robe together and shuffled back across the room in her heels. She made an uncoordinated lunge onto the door, and pulled it open to face her boyfriend.

There he stood, in his jacket and light blue Superman t-shirt; his hands clinging tightly to the strap of the messenger bag across his chest. Sheldon's eyes darted quickly to her shoes. He made a confused expression, but returned his gaze to hers without questioning her choice of footwear.

"Hello," he said, shifting his bag a little. Amy noticed that his hair was only slightly damp. Since he didn't have an umbrella, she assumed that the heavy rain from earlier in the evening had dissipated to a mere light drizzle.

"Hello, Sheldon," she replied. "Happy New Year."

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yes. Likewise."

They stared at each other in silence a moment more.

"What are you doing here?" Amy finally asked.

"Oh... jumping right to the point! I see," Sheldon said, clearing his throat. "Well, I suppose it _is_ best to just rip off the metaphorical band-aid in situations like this."

Amy relaxed against the doorknob, preparing herself for an earful of her boyfriend's nonsense.

"I heard about your dalliance with Stuart tonight," he said.

Amy heaved a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes._ Is that what this is all about?_

"Yes," He noted her exasperated response, and nodded in agreement. "You know, I never really thought there was any truth to the saying 'ignorance is bliss'. Well… I was wrong. Leonard made _sure_ to inform me of all the reasons I should be concerned about this."

_Dangit, Leonard. You blabbermouth._

"Sheldon…" She started to explain, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"Don't worry. I've never been an unreasonable man."

Amy crossed her arms and gave him a disbelieving look, but he didn't acknowledge it.

"I'm not upset," Sheldon continued. "Not at you."

"Well, you shouldn't be upset with Stuart either," Amy argued. "It was just a friendly peck on the cheek. It's what people do at New Year's Eve parties."

"I'm not upset with Stuart."

"Oh." Amy wrinkled her forehead. "So… who are you upset with, then?"

"I have no one to blame but myself, Amy," Sheldon revealed, with an air of self-importance. "It's what I get for being such a trusting boyfriend, who gives his girlfriend the freedom and space she should want."

He was obviously attempting to glean sympathy from her, but Amy wasn't buying his act. She rolled her eyes and leaned against the doorframe. "I think your over-dramatizing it a little, Sheldon."

"No, no... I spoke with my mother, and she pointed out that she taught me better." He looked down at the floor, in mock shame; clearly more for show than a legitimate apology. "I should have been there with you tonight. You shouldn't have had to spend the evening with an individual like Stuart, because '_we Texans treat our women-folk with more respect than that_'."

"Stuart's not so bad," Amy said with a slight smile. "He's really very sweet."

He met her eyes again and 'tsked' slightly at her. "Oh Amy. He's not here. No need to keep up the charade."

She frowned at him.

"Anyway," Sheldon carried on, ignoring the criticizing expression on her face. "I thought I should allow you the opportunity to spend New Year's Eve with someone more your speed. Someone worthy of your intellectual attention."

"Sure," she shrugged. "But where can I find Neil DeGrasse Tyson at this hour?" A sly grin crept across her face, and it was his turn to give her a scornful look.

"Not funny," he said. "You know I'm referring to myself."

She bit her lip to keep the smiling at bay.

"And Tyson is overrated," he added, haughtily. He pulled out his pocket watch to check the time, then slipped it quickly back into his jacket. He immediately began shifting on his feet and rubbing the sides of his pants nervously... and the humor in Amy's demeanor began to wane a little.

_Something is wrong._

"Amy… may I come in?"

She peered at the clock on her microwave. It was almost two in the morning. He'd typically be in bed by now, unless there was a _Lord of the Rings_ or _Planet of the Apes_ marathon on television.

_What's going on?_

Ultimately, Amy knew that she'd never to be one to deny Sheldon entrance to her apartment, especially at such a late hour. The thought that he might want spend the night briefly entered her mind, but then flittered away just as quickly.

She studied him for a moment, before pushing the door open to grant him access. "Sure. Come in."

As soon as he cleared the door, Amy closed it and clicked the lock shut. She hesitantly twisted around to face her boyfriend, who still looked incredibly uneasy.

"_Rip off the Band-aid..._" he muttered, almost unintelligibly, as he paced in a circle behind her couch.

"Sheldon… ?" Amy was beginning to really worry. Was he truly _that_ concerned about what had happened at the party?

_Am I going to have to punch Leonard in the mouth?_ Amy really didn't want to be responsible for maiming her best friend's boyfriend, but if it was necessary in order to teach him a lesson... she just might have to do it.

She looked back at Sheldon, who had stopped pacing and had begun searching for something in his bag.

"I don't have a lot of time," he said, without looking up.

The color began draining out of Amy's face.

_What is he digging for?_ She chewed her bottom lip, dreading that he might pull the Relationship Agreement out of his bag with the intention of voiding it right then and there.

_No, surely he wouldn't do something that drastic..._

"Amy, would you mind being lei'd?"

She choked back her surprise, then managed to squeak out, "_Pardon_?"

"I want to lei you," he said. "If you'll let me?"

Her eyebrows scrunched as close together as they could physically get, and her mouth silently hung open like a goldfish. The only sound she managed to release after several moments was an almost grunt-like "_Uhhh..._"

Sheldon pulled a bright pink and orange flowered garland necklace out of his bag and held it out to her.

"Here."

Amy's eyes darted between the lei and her boyfriend. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't. Her face instead contorted in confusion, and she leaned her head to the side like a curious puppy.

After several moments of stunned silence, she finally managed to get a question out.

"Sheldon..." Her lips curled up in a humored smile. "What makes you think I'd want to be lei'd?"

He seemed surprised by her amusement, then a knowing look came over him. "_Seriously_, Amy? This isn't a joke. This is symbolic. Women are supposed to like this type of drivel." He rolled his eyes at her. "Just take it."

His voice was harsh, but his movements were quite the opposite. Sheldon stepped toward her and gently placed the flowered necklace over her head. He grabbed her long hair and lifted it up so that the lei could rest underneath the dark brown locks. His fingers lightly grazed her neck as he pulled his hand away.

Amy instantly registered how close he had become, and her smile disappeared - replaced by an intense feeling of nervousness. They were mere inches away from each other. She could feel his breath. She could smell the talc coming from his chest.

"Alright." He nodded, as though he were checking things off of a mental to-do list.

Amy's baffled eyes flitted briefly to the lei on her chest, then returned to her boyfriend.

"It's only…," Sheldon glanced at her clock, "… 11:57 in Hawaii. They are about to ring in the New Year."

He looked back into her eyes, and the reality of what he was implying began to sink in. Amy swallowed anxiously.

"We missed our opportunity two hours ago," Sheldon said. "Luckily for _you_… And thanks to Sir Sandford Fleming and his creation of worldwide standard time zones... there are twenty-four different occasions each day that the clock officially strikes midnight. To paraphrase the saying: '_It's twelve o'clock somewhere_'."

He grinned at her proudly, but she didn't return the smile. Her nerves were eating at her insides.

_Surely, he's joking?_

Out of the corner of her eye, Amy noticed the clock click over to 1:58, and her breath caught.

"Of course… that number's debatable. Some places have half-hour or even fifteen-minute differences between zones, so you _could_ say there are up to _forty_ total time zones. I guess it depends on how you look at it," He met her perplexed green eyes, then blinked. "But it occurs to me as I am saying all of this, that it's extraneous information not relevant to the purpose of my visit."

Amy couldn't help but let her eyes drift to the clock once again. It didn't have a seconds-counter, so she was flying blind. She didn't know how much time had already ticked away. It felt like an action movie where the heroes were attempting to defuse a bomb. She just _knew_ that Sheldon would stop the process about two seconds before the explosion.

_Yes. That's what is going to happen. There's no way he is being serious. This is a 'Bazinga!' for sure._

Sheldon inched toward her and reached a slightly shaky hand up to the side of her head, gently tucking a bit of her hair behind her ear. His eyes moved all around her face – not focusing on any feature for more than a second – before finally resting on her mouth.

_Oh my gosh. He's serious._

"You were apparently correct," he said, studying her lips. Amy could almost see the tiny gears turning behind his eyes. "It would seem that there_ is_ a difference between giving and receiving a kiss. I didn't understand that until tonight."

Amy dared not ask any questions - mostly because she was stunned, but also because she was afraid she might ruin the moment or somehow accidentally convince Sheldon to abort his mission. She raised an intrigued eyebrow instead.

"I can see I'm going to have to elaborate," he said with a sigh. "When Leonard told me that Stuart kissed you on the cheek, it didn't bother me too much; That man will kiss anything with ovaries. However _you_ kissing _him_…" His eyes locked with hers. "That bothered me, little lady. I can't explain it. However, it did add some validity to your theory."

"It's odd, really," he shrugged. "Because I always believed that I had a more rationalist view of epistemology, but it turns out... empiricism has it's merits after all. I suppose some things you do simply have to _experience_ in order to comprehend. Who would have thought it?"

"Sheldon… I'm sorry if - "

"No." He shook his head and placed a boney finger over her mouth to silence her. "I could have prevented it. My momma says that's a cross I'll just have to bear. Luckily, I wasn't there to witness it, or the image would be burned into my eidetic memory forever." He paused for a moment as a realization moved across his eyes. "Of course, if I _had_ been there, it wouldn't have happened in the first place. _Hmm_... Paradox. Interesting."

Sheldon briefly pondered this new revelation, as if he were making mental notes in a journal in his mind to be reviewed at a later date. A few seconds later, he brought himself back to reality and took another look at Amy's clock.

_1:59._

"At any rate," Sheldon continued, returning his attention to Amy, "I decided that we should further test your hypothesis. So... here I am."

He hesitantly let his finger drift from her lips down to the tip of her chin.

"_Don't ... read too much into this_." He murmured the words so quietly that Amy almost couldn't hear them. She wasn't even sure he was directing the statement at her._  
_

"_This is strictly in the name of science,_" he added softly, as he lifted her face toward him with a gentle nudge. He started to lower his mouth to hers, but froze a few inches from her lips. "However, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to supplement the scientific method by adding a personal note at this juncture."

He took a breath and whispered, "_Happy New Year, Amy_."

Sheldon closed the distance between their lips, just as the clock ticked over to 2:00.

The sensation was completely different than when _she_ had kissed _him_. There was a spark… no… a _bolt_ of tingling energy that started at her heart and surged through her body. Raj could keep his confetti and the flashing bat-signals; there were fireworks right here in her apartment. They lasted only a moment, but it was the most spectacular display Amy had ever seen. It felt as though the very cells in her body had become electrified.

Sheldon pulled away from her slowly and they stared at one another, their faces still incredibly close.

"Definitely a difference," he noted, more to himself than to her - another sentence jotted into his mental notebook.

She could only nod. Amy pushed herself onto her tiptoes to recapture his lips in hers, and he took a step back.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Kissing you?"

He shook his head. "It was my understanding that there was only _one_ kiss at the New Year. Is that not true?"

She frowned and leaned back on her heels, but didn't answer his question.

"Besides, that brings me to the next thing I have for you."

_He has something else? What else could he possibly give me?_

_Nothing. Nothing that could beat what just happened._

She looked down at her lei, and began fingering the individual flowers as he dug around once again in his messenger bag. She was pretty sure she had a ridiculously goofy grin on her face, but she didn't care. She brought one of her hands up to her mouth. She could still sense the warmth of his lips on hers. It was an exhilarating feeling.

"Here you go." He pulled a wrapped present from the bag on his shoulder and held it out to her.

Her eyebrows arched. "You got me a gift?"

"Well… yes. It's your Christmas gift. Sorry it's late."

"You didn't have to get me anything, Sheldon."

"Of course I did," He looked at her like she had just said the Sun was a neutron star. "It's expected at Christmas. It's a non-optional holiday obligation. Besides, you got me something."

Amy gave him a half smile, and he shook the box at her. "Here. Take it."

She relented, and pulled the gift from his hands. She moved to sit on her sofa, kicking off her yellow heels in the process - glad to finally be rid of them.

"Come sit with me," she said, patting the cushion beside her. Sheldon obliged. He dropped his bag next to the couch and settled in close to his girlfriend.

Amy moved her hand over the beautifully wrapped present - certainly not Sheldon's handiwork. She suspected that Penny probably had something to do with the gift's presentation.

"Open it," Sheldon nudged her with his knees.

Amy quickly tore the paper from the plain, white box, and then popped the lid off of the top. A bound document rested on the tissue paper inside – a document she was very familiar with indeed. _But what did it mean?_

"What's this?"

"Well, it's the Relationship Agreement, silly," Sheldon pointed at the printed cover page. "Says so right there. Honestly, Amy, you need to be more observant."

She rolled her eyes and lifted the document from the box. She flipped through it quickly, and then looked back at Sheldon, confused.

"I don't understand."

He took the Agreement from her, and turned to a page marked with a tiny yellow Post-It. Amy skimmed it a couple of times – finally catching the part that Sheldon had changed. She read it twice before she looked back at him with widened eyes and a slowly blushing face.

"Really? You're okay with this?"

She found the room was getting hot again. _Maybe I should turn the air conditioner on?_

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have written it."

"But Sheldon… this would mean…"

"I know what it means," Sheldon said. "And kissing on special occasions would be acceptable to me. Tonight proved to me that it was possible."

Amy could barely contain her joy. This meant that there could be _more_. More kissing. More... _electricity_. And she wouldn't have to wait all year, either. '_Special occasions_' - it said it right there in size twelve Times New Roman font. It may as well have been chiseled into stone.

She immediately began racking her brain for the next 'special occasion' on her calendar. Surely there was something before Valentine's Day? Martin Luther King Jr. Day? _Can people kiss on Martin Luther King Jr. Day? Certainly the birthday of a celebrated civil rights hero is deserving of a small display of affection?_

_And Groundhog Day? What about that?_

Amy was positively overflowing with giddiness, but then a thought crossed her mind.

"Sheldon, you said that tonight's kiss proved that this was possible... but you already had this amendment written. What if tonight hadn't worked out?"

"Fortunately, you are dating a very intelligent man," Sheldon smiled proudly. "I had a backup gift. I would simply have given you that."

"A backup gift?"

"Yes." He reached into is bag and pulled out an identically wrapped box, about the same size as the one he had already given her.

"Oh. I see."

"It's a cardigan," Sheldon said. "Purple. You should wear more purple."

"I should?'

"Yes." He studied the box for a moment, and then held it out to her. "Actually... take it anyway. It'll save me a trip to the store."

"Thank you, Sheldon." Amy accepted the wrapped package and set it on the coffee table in front of her, then held the Relationship Agreement up and waved it a bit. "So… I guess the kiss was good enough for you to give me this, then?"

"'_Good_' is a term of quality," Sheldon said. "The _quality_ of the kiss was not a determining factor in whether or not I went through with this change in the Agreement. It was more of a decision based on ability." Sheldon brought his hands into his lap, and played with the zipper on his jacket. "I told you - tonight's kiss was an experiment. I was simply... testing more than one hypothesis."

Sheldon increased his focus on his hands. "But if we _were_ making quality assessments... I can't imagine that it would fall into the 'bad' column."

Amy's eyes began to tear up and she looked back at the revised Agreement.

"I can see you're overwhelmed," he said, handing her a box of Kleenex that had been sitting on the table nearby. "That's to be expected. But, just to make you feel better – the decision to make a unilateral change to our Agreement was not made lightly. It took a lot of thought. I've been working on this for weeks."

Amy pulled a tissue from the box and blotted her eyes. "A unilateral change? So... I don't have to sign this?"

"No, you don't. The update is already in effect - which is what allowed for our kiss tonight. I, unlike _you_, am not so willing to stretch the limits of our Agreement. I don't want any legal hassles."

"But… how did you know I'd agree to the change?"

"Because you're in love with me, obviously." He said it quickly and matter-of-factly, as though it was just the most simple thing to comprehend – like calculus or electromagnetism.

Amy's face turned bright red. _How did he know that? I've never told him that I love him._

"Um… I… _Excuse me_?"

"It's easy enough to deduce," Sheldon explained. "You're always willing to help me out, even if you don't get any benefit out of it at all... and sometimes even if it puts you into an unnecessarily difficult situation. Usually, I don't even have to ask; it's like you are reading my mind."

Amy smiled at him._ He really does notice the little things._

"Now, that means that you are either an imbecile…" Amy's smile morphed into a frown at this. "… who doesn't understand the concept of self-preservation. _Or_ you were sent to me from the future to protect me and guide me toward the path that I am destined to walk for the betterment of mankind. _Or_… you are in love with me."

She looked at him like he had three heads, but he wasn't fazed.

"Occam's Razor would suggest that the simplest of any number of theories is the most likely scenario," he continued without missing a beat. "Seeing as time travel has yet to be achieved, and most modern theories would only allow us to travel back to the moment of the time traveling device's creation - thereby limiting our journeys to only _future _dates_ -_ that option really doesn't seem probable."

"And, as for you being an imbecile... well, we both know that isn't true. You're the only one who can hold a candle to my intelligence."

Amy bit her tongue. She didn't want to admit that her own I.Q. surpassed that of her boyfriend's. _Not that his pride really needs to be spared_, she thought.

"While living in such close proximity to Leonard and Penny," Sheldon continued. "I've had a firsthand look at the nature of the traditional relationship paradigm for many years. And, let me tell you, it's as if I've been inside some kind of Discovery Channel documentary. However, over time, I've deduced that being in love and being an idiot do both seem to have very similar symptoms. _You_, my little monkey, are _not_ an idiot. Ipso facto, you must be in love with me. It's simple extrapolation."

Amy stared at him with a gaping mouth. She felt as though she should probably be offended. There most certainly had been a plethora of insults in that speech. But - oddly enough - she wasn't upset at all. In fact, she was turned on a little bit._ Sweet Galen's ghost, his deductive reasoning is super sexy._

She fanned herself with the Agreement and repositioned her robe.

"And, _because_ you are in love with me," Sheldon carried on, oblivious to his girlfriend's increasingly flustered state. "I knew you'd sign anything that I put in front of you... perhaps without even really reading it. People in love do silly things, Amy. I probably could have added a clause requiring you to wear your hair like Princess Leia, and you would have signed it without question."

_That's closer to the truth than I'd care to admit, _Amy realized. _Heck, even his smugness is sexy right now._

She looked back at the Agreement in her hand. She would have to review it in more detail later to make sure he hadn't unilaterally added a required Klingon language course or something. For now, though, she was too excited to even think about anything other than the current revision.

And he was right. She did love him... so much more than he realized.

Amy wanted to ask Sheldon if he loved her, too.

She _wanted_ to ask, but she decided that she wouldn't. She didn't have to, because she finally knew the answer. Her friends had been right all along, and tonight had proved it. After all, her boyfriend wasn't the only one in the relationship with top-notch deductive reasoning ability.

Sheldon knew that Amy would have signed anything that he put in front of her. Knowing that, he _still_ chose to add an amendment that would allow for kissing, rather than restricting physical contact.

_Looks like I'm not the only one lacking self-preservation skills, _she noted with a sly smirk; And the fact that he'd made the decision to move their relationship forward _on his own_, made it all the more important in Amy's mind.

She didn't need a declaration of love; For now, it was enough for her simply to know.

_Best not to push it_, Amy decided. She could instead cross 'relationship progress' off of her New Year's resolution list and devote more attention to walking in those god-awful heels.

Sheldon was playing with his zipper again, but Amy could feel him analyzing her, waiting for some kind of response. She brought her eyes up to meet his and smiled. "Thank you, Sheldon."

He gave her a half-grin in return, then patted her knee.

"Alright, kiddo." He stood up and moved toward the door, as though they hadn't just experienced the most significant night of their relationship.

"Wait… you're leaving?"

"Of course," Sheldon said. "It's almost two thirty in the morning."

"But you could… stay here, if you'd like?" Amy offered. "I'll let you take the waterbed and I could sleep on the couch?"

Sheldon smiled warmly at her. "It's a good thing that I know you're in love with me; Otherwise I'd be worried, because that's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard." He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Goodnight Amy." Sheldon unlocked the door and stepped into the hall. He paused a moment, before turning back around to face his girlfriend, who was reading through the updated section of the Relationship Agreement again with an elated grin.

"Happy New Year," he said.

Amy looked up at him and blushed. "Happy New Year, Sheldon."

* * *

**THE END!**

* * *

**NOTES:** I know this story was a short one overall (not _this_ chapter, obviously... this chapter was a MONSTER). And I usually don't rush progress like I did in this chapter, but the whole thing was only intended to be a quick little holiday tale with a happy ending to leave everyone with as we start 2014. And it's also just a little bit of me hoping we eventually get a SIK down the line on the actual show (all in due time, of course... the SHAMY need to get there at their own speed, when they are ready).

:o)

I'm sorry I didn't keep as close to my deadlines as I had been hoping. Ah well, I knew that would probably happen.

I'd love to hear your final thoughts about my story as a whole! If you liked it and you haven't already checked out my other story, _The Compatibility Constant_, please do! I'd love to hear what you think about that one as well. I'm writing a Part Two for that one, which (hopefully) will be published within a few months. It's long.

Much love, dear readers, and HAPPY (belated) NEW YEAR!


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